An Air Force Vision for UAVs: The Air Force has released a new 34-page document intended to guide the development and integration of its unmanned aerial vehicle fleet for the next quarter century. Among its many recommendations is the need to avoid “stovepiping” of the huge volume of data “collected and downloaded simultaneously” to ensure it gets to the warfighter. The Air Force also believes that DOD needs new procedures to request and receive UAV support and offers one option—“mimic requests for close air support,” making use of a ground unit’s battlefield airmen. Other recommendations include developing common terminology, funding science and technology efforts, and integrating UAVs with manned and space platforms.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…