The Air Force on Oct. 26 released a request for information to industry for 10 commercial off-the-shelf aircraft to be adapted for military use, though the service is quiet on the possible mission of the aircraft. According to the RFI, the aircraft would need a cockpit for two crew members, and a cabin for a minimum of five workstations along with a jump seat. The cabin must have a minimum of 664 cubic feet, and a primary mission equipment weight of 13,000 pounds, states the RFI. The aircraft would need to be able to loiter for a minimum of 3.5 hours at 41,000 feet mean sea level. Air Force Materiel Command, in a statement to Air Force Magazine, said it is “prohibited from mentioning any USAF mission or aircraft associated with this RFI.” The request “is absolutely not a solicitation and merely represents market research. The information received could be used on several programs or none at all,” AFMC said in the statement.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
