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Air Force Research Laboratory

Can Spacecraft Sweat? New Tech Could Make Them Reusable

May 21, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman
Building spacecraft that can survive the heat of reentry by "sweating" a thermally protective layer of gas has been a dream of aerospace engineers for 50 years. Now an Air Force Research Laboratory grant aims to make that a reality.

Researchers: US Bombs May One Day Use Chinese GPS Signals

March 4, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman
One day, U.S. military personnel might target smart weapons using location data from Chinese or Russian versions of GPS, researchers from the Air Force and Space Force said at the AFA Warfare Symposium on March 4. 

USSF Paused AI Adoption in ’23; Now It’s Looking to Automate Ops

Feb. 26, 2025 | By Greg Hadley
Less than 18 months after telling Guardians to quit using ChatGPT and other emerging artificial intelligence tools while the service examined the risks and opportunities they posed, a Space Force leader said Feb. 26 the service has “done so much” to explore and expand AI ...

Money-Saving Microvanes Inch Closer to Fleetwide C-17 Use

Jan. 22, 2025 | By David Roza
New devices meant to save money spent on gas by reducing aerodynamic drag are inching closer to fleetwide adoption for the Air Force’s 222 C-17 transport jets.

Success With CCA Points Way to Greater Innovation, Board Says

Jan. 15, 2025 | By Greg Hadley and Tobias Naegele
The Defense Innovation Board adopted a series of new recommendations and praised the Air Force for its big bets on emerging technology in recent years that seem primed to help new entrants to the defense market bridge the so-called valley of death between initial investment ...

New Fighter Drones Will Go on Display at AFA Conference

Sept. 10, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak
The Air Force will display full-scale models of the two competitors for Increment 1 of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program at next week's AFA Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

Air Traffic Control For Drones? Air Force Tests Out New System

July 22, 2024 | By David Roza
The Air Force achieved a milestone in May by testing out a new system for controlling high volumes of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) in military airspace.

Air Force Vet Indicted for Leaking Secrets on Weapons ‘Vulnerabilities’

June 28, 2024 | By Greg Hadley
An Air Force veteran and former civilian employee was indicted this week for leaking classified information on USAF aircraft and weapons. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced the grand jury indictment of Paul J. Freeman on June 27, after Freeman had been ...

Air Force Releases First Video of XQ-67 Drone, a CCA Prototype, in Flight

June 27, 2024 | By Chris Gordon
The Air Force released the first video of a new experimental drone in flight. General Atomics’ XQ-67A is intended to prepare the service for its future fleet of autonomous collaborative combat aircraft, and the company has called the drone a “CCA prototype."

DARPA Announces a New Flying-Wing Reconnaissance X-Plane: XRQ-73

June 25, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has assigned the designation XRQ-73 to its newest “X-plane,” an autonomous flying wing reconnaissance aircraft prototype with extra-quiet propulsion that is expected to fly this year, the agency announced June 24.

Air Force Launches Its Own Generative AI Chatbot. Experts See Promise and Challenges

June 12, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley
Airmen and Guardians now have their own free generative artificial intelligence chatbot that can interact in a "human-like" manner, helping them with communications, task completion, and online coding like ChatGPT—but on a secure system. The Air Force and Space Force launched the Non-classified Internet Protocol ...

Air Force Looks to Reusable Hypersonics as ARRW Ends and HACM Gears Up for Testing

March 13, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak
The Air Force’s hypersonics efforts are focused on an air-breathing cruise missile in the near term, a reuseable platform further out, and the possible end of its boost-glide ARRW program, Lt. Gen. Dale White told the House Armed Services Committee.

Latest News

CCA Drones to Fly at Large-Scale Air Force Exercise in December

SPACECOM Boss Wants Better Domain Awareness to Target Threats on Orbit

Pentagon, Lockheed to Expand Production of Secretive New Joint Advanced Tactical Missile

How the Space Force Is Preparing for Its New Moving Target Missions

Lockheed’s New Modular JASSM Offers Swappable Noses and Launch Options

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Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1201 S. Joyce St., C6 / Second Fl., Arlington, Va., 22202. Copyright 2026

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