In an exercise focused on Agile Combat Employment earlier this year, the Air Force got a taste of technology that could prove pivotal to the concept—autonomous software and hardware that can let conventional aircraft taxi, take off, fly, and land without a pilot at the ...
The Air Force and contractor BETA Technologies started flight testing “Alia,” a sleek, quiet, electric aircraft, last week at Duke Field, Fla. The electric aircraft, delivered to Duke Field on Oct. 26, is owned and operated by BETA crew, but the Air Force’s rotary wing ...
A sleek, futuristic, six-rotor aircraft stood behind a red ribbon at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Sept. 25—marking the latest milestone in the Air Force’s involvement in the “electric air taxi.” The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Joby Aviation was unveiled at ...
The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2023 will be formally recognized at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference from Sept. 11-13 in National Harbor, Md. Air & Space Forces Magazine is highlighting one each weekday from now until the conference begins. ...
The U.S. military is looking at fielding small drones that can be carried in a backpack or aircraft that can take off vertically, but managing airspace is a challenge. The Air Force has a CLUE about the way forward: the Collaborative Low-Altitude UAS Integration Effort.
“Electric air taxis” are coming to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., early next year, as the Air Force and Joby Aviation announced a deal April 25 as part of the service’s Agility Prime program. The deal’s announcement comes just a few days after Air Force pilots ...
No one wants to stand up in front of the entire Department of Air Force leadership team and own up to being personally responsible for cutting vital communications lines in a war zone, but Tech. Sgt. Raymond Zgoda turned that error into a winning point ...
As the Defense Department engages commercial entities to speed innovation, cultural and structural differences between government and the private sector continue to be the biggest hurdle to rapidly deploying new technology, the head of Air Force Futures told the influential Defense Innovation Board at a ...
After several years of analysis, experiments, and contract awards, the Air Force’s work with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft initiative is poised to transition to more field testing in 2023. Since April 2020, the service has been looking at eVTOL aircraft, including fixed-wing ...
Dave Harden, CEO of Outpost, led a discussion on "The Art of the Startup: Creating Something From Nothing" with Col. Nathan P. Diller of AFWERX, Lt. Col. Walter McMillan of SpaceWERX, Trevor Smith of Atomic-6, and Diem Salmon of Anduril at AFA's Air, Space & ...
The Department of the Air Force’s self-described “innovation arm” AFWERX plans to begin interviewing military spouses to permanently telework for many of its civilian job openings. If the hiring strategy works, it could serve as a pilot “that has the potential to grow into other ...
Small businesses teaming up with nonprofit research institutions have a head start at proposing concepts for mitigating orbital debris and other aspects of on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. SpaceWERX director Lt. Col. Walter McMillan said SpaceWERX consulted fellow government entities, academic institutions, startups, small businesses, ...