The B-52 is getting up there (last one rolled off the line in 1962), but USAF has an ongoing effort to keep the BUFF at the top of its form, including adding upgraded avionics. The Air Force has awarded a $28 million contract modification to Lockheed Martin for the B-52 avionics midlife improvement program. Lockheed is to complete the work at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker AFB, Okla. The Air Force expects to keep the veteran bomber in service until around 2040. (Read about AMI here.)
Unmanned aerial vehicles are fair game for U.S. Special Operations Command’s armed overwatch platform competition, Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. James C. “Jim” Slife told reporters on Feb. 26. However, the MQ-9 Reaper drone might not be up to the challenge in its current form, he suggested during…