The Northrop Grumman-EADS North America team confirmed that its KC-X entrant, the KC-30, had taken its first flight Sept. 25. Company officials at AFA’s Air & Space Conference said aircraft D-1 flew for nearly four hours. The KC-30 is in hot competition with Boeing’s 767 for the Air Force’s KC-X tanker replacement program.
A new White House policy calls for the Pentagon to craft plans for additional space launch facilities to support a projected increase in launch demand that could see the U.S. supporting as many as 1,000 launches by 2030, more than a fivefold increase from 2025.