Air Force Special Operations Command will up-armor its CV-22 Osprey fleets through a sole source contract to Florida-based The Protective Group, according to a notice posted this week. The Advanced Ballistic Stopping System is a panel system to be applied to the Ospreys in multiple configurations “based upon mission need/requirements,” the notice states. The armor will protect both the aircrew and “critical components” of the aircraft. The Protective Group has already provided 16 kits to AFSOC. The amount of the order, and the total price, has not been announced.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.