Praise the Lord and Pass the Parachutes

Aug. 17, 2005

Praise the Lord and Pass the Parachutes: The Pentagon’s new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap says it will take longer to prepare UASes for use in airlift operations (planned for 2025-30) than for air combat operations (predicted for 2020-25). Why? According to the report (p. 73), troops will be nervous about flying in a crew-less airplane. And foreign countries won’t like robotic aircraft landing and taking off in densely populated areas.

Related Content

Ray: Bomber Readiness Surges with Shift to Dynamic Force Employment

Sept. 17, 2020
The bomber fleet is turning in exceptional readiness and performance since it turned away from the continuous bomber presence and close air support mission, Air Force Global Strike Command chief Gen. Timothy M. Ray reported. In its new dynamic force employment role, the bomber is emblematic of how the U.S.…

ULA Boss Backs New Career Development Program for Space Industry Workers

Sept. 17, 2020
United Launch Alliance Chief Executive Officer Tory Bruno supports the idea of sending space industry employees for stints in the Space Force, suggesting it could be modeled on an existing Air Force program that lets service members try out private sector jobs. The Space Force wants to bolster its talent…

C-17s Serve as Bombers, Artillery Targeting Systems in AMC Tests

Sept. 17, 2020
Air Mobility Command is testing how its workhorse strategic airlifter can not only carry in combat weapons systems, but also directly contribute to a fight by dropping bombs and providing targeting data for artillery. As part of the high-tech Advanced Battle Management System “onramp” evaluations earlier this month, AMC C-17s…

Gulf Coast Air Bases Emerge From Hurricane Sally

Sept. 17, 2020
Air Force installations along the Gulf Coast are starting to resume operations after Hurricane Sally made landfall early Sept. 16 over Gulf Shores, Ala., as a Category 2 storm. Early announcements indicate the bases weathered harsh winds and rain but avoided widespread damage, though nearby residential and commercial areas were…

Space Force Official Argues Funding Should Match ‘Huge’ Space Responsibilities

Sept. 17, 2020
Military space budgets will need to grow to adequately support air, land, sea, and cyber operations as global warfighting grows increasingly intertwined, and as the Pentagon solidifies its plans for offense and defense in the cosmos, a top Space Force official argued this week. "If I was [U.S. Space Command…

GE Delivers First F-15EX Engine

Sept. 17, 2020
The first of 19 engines that will power test models of the new Boeing F-15EX has been delivered, according to GE Aviation. The new fighters enter combined developmental and operational test at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., early next year. The Air Force awarded the first batch of F-15EX engines…

AMC Lays Out ‘Contested Environment’ Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Ops

Sept. 17, 2020
COVID-19’s impacts on Air Mobility Command operations, which increased as the pandemic spread, have provided several lessons learned that mobility forces can use for potential ops in degraded conditions, the command’s boss said. AMC Commander Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, speaking during AFA’s virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference, said…

AFMC Considers Reorganizing Depots for New eSeries Aircraft

Sept. 17, 2020
Air Force Materiel Command is beginning to think about how depots and sustainment will evolve now that USAF is embracing the "eSeries" approach to digitally creating future platforms. AFMC commander Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. said he's also working to build the IT infrastructure needed to make the e-series work,…

Current, Former USAF Leaders Stress Importance of Inclusion

Sept. 17, 2020
Despite its diversity, the U.S. Air Force has an inclusion problem, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass said Sept. 16. “Diversity [means] you ask somebody to the dance. Inclusion is you actually ask them to dance,” she explained in a post-keynote Q&A at AFA's virtual Air,…