A B-1 
from the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess, AFB, Tex., has demonstrated for the first time this bomber type’s ability to carry a full complement of 24 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles. “The mission was a success. Everything went as planned, and we can verify that the B-1B can, in fact, operate its full capacity of JASSMs,” said Maj. Brian Owen, chief of wing weapons and tactics. According to plan, the aircrew released no JASSMs during Tuesday’s five-hour flight over the Gulf of Mexico. Rather, the aircrew checked the status of each missile while in the air. The B-1 can carry the most JASSMs of all Air Force platforms, followed by the B-2, which can carry 16, and the B-52, which can hold up to a dozen. (Dyess report by TSgt. Robert Wollenberg)
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
