US-backed rebels, bolstered by constant coalition air support, now control 70 percent of the contested Syrian ISIS stronghold of Manbij, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces said. The spokesman told Reuters that the SDF fighters pushed back Sunni militants into the old quarter of the city and had seized most of the rest of the city. Thousands of residents are still in the city, with militants attempting to keep them inside the city as protection from airstrikes, Kurdish sources told the news service. US-led coalition aircraft have been hitting the city hard, with eight strikes on July 31 alone targeting ISIS tactical units, fighting positions, a vehicle, and other equipment, according to US Central Command. The area around Manbij has been the site of multiple reported civilian casualties in US strikes, CENTCOM said last week.
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.