The tech heads with the Air Force Research Laboratory, headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are busy developing a new integrated oxygen sensor—one that helps reduce the risk of explosions caused by fuel tank fires. A process called “fuel tank inerting”—essentially keeping the oxygen level low enough so the contents could not burn even if there is a spark. There’s still a ways to go—like developing a sensor to directly monitor the oxygen content in the tank—but this could prevent accidents like the 1996 TWA Flight 800 explosion over the Atlantic Ocean, says AFRL officials.
The Pentagon is significantly bolstering airpower near Venezuela, dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America, it said in an Oct. 24 statement. The announcement came just hours after U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and other U.S. assets flew near the Venezuelan coast on Oct. 23.
