A half century later, an Air Force Minuteman II motor functioned like new. In October, Air Force crews conducted a static fire live test of a 50-year-old Minuteman II motor. The test set a new record for oldest motor successfully tested, besting the previous record by about four years, according to an Air Force news release. While the motor is no longer operational, it can be used for space launches and as targets for Missile Defense Agency tests. The successful test proved the old motors are ready to fly for another year.
A new Navy missile could fill a long-range air-to-air need for the U.S. Air Force’s fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighters. The Navy’s portfolio acquisition executive for munitions posted information on the AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile online on Aug. 22, the same day it unveiled the project at the service’s…