Concern for the lack of pilots has become critical enough that “for the first time,” the Air Force Reserve has “selected 40 ROTC cadets to go to pilot training,” said Air Force Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. JJ Jackson at ASC15. “We’re gonna go ahead and fly them out to units to get them seasoned and trained into full-time status” before sending them into the Reserve, he said, speaking with Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, the director of the Air National Guard; Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements; and Dan Sitterly, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, during a Total Force panel. “We’re doing that to survive. … Our technicians and [traditional Reservists] are making decisions” to leave the service because the pay is better over on the industry side and because they are getting burned out, said Jackson.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design the Air Force said.