The Air Force Office of Scientific Research in Arlington, Va. is evaluating thousands of research proposals it has received from scientists and researchers all over the world, in an effort to provide the US military with technological advantages in battle. An AFOSR release notes that about 40 AFOSR program managers control around $400 million in research funding. With that money, AFOSR supports more than 5,000 basic research projects worldwide. Applying the funding requires peer reviews of prospective proposals, involving internal and external scientists, who grade technical merit based on an AFOSR scale that aids in evaluating technological need and risk.
A new think tank analysis finds a hypothetical blended-wing body tanker could offer twice as much refueling performance as the KC-46A Pegasus and recommends the Air Force buy scores of them, as the service prepares to evaluate a BWB demonstrator next year and must juggle its future tanker plans with…