Heritage Flight

The Space Force is flying new command and control software on experimental satellites that can automate some functions for ops crews. The new software, dubbed R2C2 for Rapid and Resilient Command and Control, is leading a wave of new applications for artificial intelligence and automation for space, leaders said at the…

Col. Larry Fenner, the commander of the Air Force’s only Spectrum Warfare Wing, came to the Association of Old Crows electronic warfare trade show looking for tools he can use to automate key parts of his mission workload.

Chinese satellites in geosynchronous orbit are maneuvering at high rates, practicing orbital warfare techniques, studying other spacecraft, and testing new ways to evade threats—and Space Force and industry leaders warn the U.S. must learn to maneuver in response. 

The Department of the Air Force’s installations czar revealed a plan Dec. 11 to fix Air Force and Space Force facilities that are increasingly in a state of decay, including airfields, water and electrical systems, munitions storage, and other critical base facilities. 

Nearly a year after the Department of Defense signed off on a new policy meant to reduce classified restrictions on space programs, not a single weapon system has yet made it through the process, the head of U.S. Space Command said Dec. 11. But that’s not to say they're not trying.

A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was mistakenly shot down in northern Syria on Dec. 9 by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Congress and small business advocates are working on a series of fixes for a new Department of Defense cybersecurity certification program they fear will otherwise be a major disincentive for smaller, nontraditional defense suppliers to bid on Air Force and other defense contracts. 

Space Force leaders are contemplating separating out the service’s boot camp from the Air Force and moving it to a new location. 

The Air Force still hasn’t set the requirements for the second increment of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, service acquisition executive Andrew Hunter said, leaving decisions about the project to the incoming Trump administration.The service has already punted decisions on the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter to the new team, but…