Gen. Tom Hobbins, US Air Forces in Europe commander, has spent the past three days in Russia, where he has flown in an Su-27 and MiG-29—a payback for F-15E rides provided two top Russian Air Force generals. Hobbins called the aircraft “meticulously maintained” and “very good.” Also on the agenda was a visit to the US embassy in Moscow, as well as Victory Park, a World War II monument dedicated to the victory over Nazi Germany. His trip concludes today.
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc. and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems matching $17.7 million contracts for an "Off-Board Sensing Station,” which is an unmanned aircraft that would extend a manned fighter’s sensing range and also potentially carry additional weapons for that aircraft. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts…