BAE Systems says it achieved the first autonomous and untethered flight of its 3rd generation ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle recently. The company’s vertical take-off and landing craft went through a programmed flight plan that included automatic takeoff, waypoint navigation, loitering, and automatic landing. The UAV, says BAE, will be ideal for smaller scale operations. According to company spokesman Terry Kanakri, the work has gotten the attention of Pentagon officials. “We are discussing this capability with several services,” Kanakri said. UAVs continue to proliferate the defense landscape, leading many to wonder who’s in charge. Read our report here.
Today, the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute will host a Space Power Forum about NASA and U.S. Space Force Partnership in Space featuring NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and USSF Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond. Event video will tentatively be posted to the think tank's website and…