The Air Force Academy is purchasing 19 new two-seat gliders, along with 11 trailers to haul them, under a $4.8 million transaction. The new German-made gliders will be designated TG-16As and used to introduce cadets to flying, reported the Colorado Springs Gazette. They will replace the academy’s TG-10B/C gliders that have reached the end of their service lives. The academy was set to receive the first TG-16 at the end of last week. Just last month, academy officials announced plans to procure 25 single-engine, two-seat SR20 trainer aircraft, designated T-53As, from Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minn., to replace the leased fleet of Diamond DA-40s.
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…