The Air Force announced initial operating capability for its new Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapons Systems on Wednesday. CROWS, while based at Hanscom AFB, Mass., will involve personnel from across the service and will coordinate security of USAF weapons systems from cyber attack on a number of fronts. The office will be tasked with supporting the acquisition, including design and development, of weapons systems that are more impervious to cyber attack, overseeing operational security of existing weapons systems, and maintenance and training related to cyber security. CROWS was created in partial fulfillment of the Air Force Cyber Campaign Plan and reached IOC on Dec. 21, 2016, according to a Hanscom release.
The Air Force is upgrading some 70 MQ-9 Reapers to a new configuration that will keep the type capable and relevant to the near-peer fight for another 15 years. It awarded General Atomics a $272.3 million contract to enhance the Reaper's weapons, electric power, connectivity, and resistance to jamming, among…