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Secretary of the US Air Force Frank Kendall flew in the lead seat of the service’s X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft (VISTA), a specially modified Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter being used to test and develop artificial intelligence and autonomy capabilities.
The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is lauding a C$40 billion plan to boost military spending, particularly in the Arctic region, while downplaying the country’s failure to achieve the NATO standard of committing the equivalent of 2% of gross domestic product toward defence expenditures.
Video footage has been released showing pilot training activities being provided to Ukrainian air force personnel using Lockheed Martin F-16s, just months before Kyiv is expected to begin operating the western fighter.
The first technicians tasked with supporting the German navy’s future fleet of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are mid-way through a course being delivered via Lufthansa Technical Training.
AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600 is now the first lethal platform to be officially purchased under the Pentagon’s so-called Replicator initiative to field mass numbers of autonomous combat systems.
Electric aircraft start-up Pyka is expanding into the defence realm, teaming with defence systems provider Sierra Nevada to offer a militarised version of the company’s Pelican uncrewed cargo aircraft.
The US airframer is continuing to build toward delivering flight-worthy MQ-25 autonomous refuelling jets for the US Navy, most recently testing software that will enable the pilotless aircraft to transfer fuel to crewed fighters.
The US Army’s Future Tactical Uncrewed Aerial System programme aims to deliver a vertical take-off and landing-capable aircraft that will replace the Textron RQ-7B Shadow and improve the ability of ground troops to collect and report intelligence.
