Operational Shake-Up: Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Elder said officials in Pacific Air Forces are “very interested” in looking at the “Effective Warfighting in a Contest Enviornment” study, slated for completion in February, as they try to figure out how to continue using remotely piloted aircraft in contested airspace. Speaking at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 18, Elder said the Air Force needs “to see if there is a different way to operate RPAs that will allow us to effectively operate even though the environment is degraded.” He said he expects the study to “shake up the way we look at things from an operational level,” specifically in how the Air Force conducts command and control and operates its air operations centers.
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
