USAF says it is on track to launch in November the third of three satellites in the current Defense Meteorological Satellite Program constellation. Officials at Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., expressed their optimistic review in a July 20 release. The overall DMSP program has been around for some five decades. It is a key part of USAF’s efforts to track global weather conditions for the Pentagon and civilian agencyes. SMC designs, builds, and maintains the fleet.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.