Nine animators from Walt Disney studios recently descended on Edwards AFB, Calif., for a close-up look at the design of modern combat aircraft in order to help them for a possible feature-length animated film. “Research is what fuels our creativity. We came to the source of what’s real . . . to be inspired,” said Disney art director Mike Gabriel. The team made a hands-on inspection of the Flight Test Center Museum’s YF-22 prototype, walked through C-17 and C-130 transports, and took a guided tour of the flight line, including an F-22 briefing. “They wanted to get the essence of what a modern jet fighter looks like,” noted museum curator Fred Johnson. For many on the team, the Nov. 18 visit was their first exposure at a working air base. “I think they got a lot out of it,” said Lt. Col. Francisco Hamm, Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office director. (Edward report by Kate Blais)
The Space Force relies entirely on data—but it lacks the systems and tools to analyze and share that data properly even within the service, let alone with international partners, officials said May 1.