Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said his biggest challenge for the balance of his tenure will be managing all the new missions the service must take on with a fixed number of people. Remotely Piloted Aircraft are a key example: USAF is bringing on the uninhabited craft at a brisk rate, but he declared: “We need 140 folks per platform to launch and operate them. … We cannot sustain this package indefinitely.” He said the service would seek greater automation in all phases of RPA operations so that far fewer people can operate the same or more aircraft.
Skyborg Makes First Flight Aboard Kratos Mako
May 5, 2021
The Skyborg software and hardware suite allowing unmanned aircraft to team with crewed ones flew for the first time April 29, the Air Force said, launching a series of experiments meant to prove the safety and effectiveness of the approach.