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.
RTX’s Raytheon unit was able to “significantly” extend the range of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile using mostly software changes in experimental tests last year, expanding the reach and lethality of the standard U.S. dogfighting weapon, company officials said Sept. 15.
