Officials at the US Air Warfare Center at Nellis AFB, Nev., on April 6 formally opened the center’s Irregular Warfare Center of Excellence, which will evaluate, analyze, and train airmen and US allies in the means to integrate irregular warfare capabilities into conventional warfare. (Nellis photo release) n Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee has successfully test fired the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Falcon Combined Cycle Engine Test; it was also the first customer test using AEDC’s Aerodynamic Propulsion Test Unit since it underwent an extensive, multi-year upgrade. (AEDC photo release)
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.