The Pentagon recently approved the ground testing and eventual first flight for a restored World War II-era B-29 Superfortress, called “Doc,” from a non-joint-use runway at McConnell AFB, Kan. The B-29 received an airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration earlier in June, meaning “first flight for Doc is imminent,” said Jim Murphy, the restoration project manager for Doc’s Friends, in a news release. The approval now lets the flight crew schedule high-speed taxi testing and eventually takeoffs and landings, according to the release. Volunteers have been working on restoring the B-29 for 16 years are now a “few final steps away” from flight, Murphy said. (Read more about Doc’s restoration in Wingman Magazine.)
The Air Force wants a new, affordable, air-launched standoff cruise missile ready to field in 2033. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced April 6 it will hold an industry day event to conduct market research on the Standoff Attack Weapon, or SoAW, on June 17 at Eglin Air…