Air Frame: Year in Review, July 2011: The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on July, 21, 2011, shown here, ending three decades of US shuttle flights. The next day, President Obama certified the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that banned homosexuals from openly serving in the US military. Also in July, Leon Panetta was sworn in as the 23rd Defense Secretary, replacing Robert Gates. The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board began reviewing the F-22’s onboard oxygen-generation systems following the fleet-wide grounding in May 2011. And, on July 14, 2011, the Pentagon unveiled its first cyberspace strategy. The Air Force also approved a plan in July to beddown 36 F-35 strike fighters at Nellis AFB, Nev., to support test activities and weapons school training there. Eglin AFB, Fla., also received its first two F-35As. NASA photo
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…