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ation must preserve its “unparalleled airpower capabilities” to deter and defeat conventional competitors and respond to global crises, writes the new Administration in its newly issued defense agenda. (Full document) To do so, it calls for “greater investment in advanced technology,” ranging from “revolutionary capabilities” like unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare systems “to essential systems” like the C-17 and KC-X tanker, “which provide the backbone” of global power projection. There is no mention of other Air Force systems, like the F-22 or F-35, by name.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.