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.
Sikorsky is pitching a modified "U-Hawk" version of older UH-60 Black Hawk series helicopters as autonomous resupply aircraft with additional capabilities as missile or drone swarm launchers.
