The Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition Board on Wednesday approved full-rate production of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The official endorsement brings to a close a long and rocky development history. The Air Force plans to purchase 50 of the CV-22 version for Air Force Special Operations Command. Currently there are three test aircraft at Edwards AFB, Calif., where the Osprey will begin initial operational test & evaluation next summer.
General Atomics, the maker of one of the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has ambitious plans for its family of semi-autonomous drones beyond the FQ-42, including a flying-wing aircraft capable of carrying out both reconnaissance and strike missions. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a new program to…