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.
Small one-way attack drones widely used on the frontlines of Ukraine and against U.S. outposts in the Middle East have fundamentally altered the definition of air superiority, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife said April 24. "Our traditional conception of what things like…