Air Force Materiel Command is looking to replace the wings on the service’s aging T-38 trainers. The command issued a sources sought synopsis Tuesday to notify interested contractors of an upcoming buy, which is expected to result in a five to 10-year contract that will call for 12 to 24 wings per year. The service expects to replace the T-38 Talon, first produced in the 1960s, with a new trainer, dubbed the T-X, that will reach initial operational capability by 2024. (See also: Pilot Training for the Future from the September 2016 issue of Air Force Magazine)
General Atomics, the maker of one of the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has ambitious plans for its family of semi-autonomous drones beyond the FQ-42, including a flying-wing aircraft capable of carrying out both reconnaissance and strike missions. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a new program to…