The Air Force’s avionics modernization program for its C-130 Hercules fleet has faced technical difficulties and rising costs. However, according to Rebecca Christie of Dow Jones Newswires, the service blames the problems on “more ambitious requirements” and does not fault design and development contractor Boeing. The service plans to hold another competition to cover AMP installation for the majority of the C-130s to be upgraded, since the original deal with Boeing fell victim to the Darleen Druyun affair. The number to be upgraded is still in flux, since the Air Force probably will not revamp its oldest Hercules, the C-130E models.
Unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous aircraft may provide a solution to operating in heavily contested domains such as the Taiwan Straits, according to a panel of expert who suggested operationalizing artificial intelligence for such purposes sooner rather than later. The group gathered virtually to help launch the Mitchell Institute for…