Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
Archer Aviation to supply Midnight eVTOLs to the USAF
California-based start-up Archer Aviation Inc has entered into contracts worth up to $142m with the US Department of Defense that includes the supply of up to six Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to the USAF
USAF contracts Exosonic to develop ‘Red Air’ supersonic UAV
Exosonic has been awarded a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract by the USAF to develop a low boom supersonic UAV demonstrator that could be used to support adversary air training operations
US to develop Mjolnir as follow-on to THOR ‘drone killer’ system
The US Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate is seeking partners to develop and build a new counter electronics weapon system – dubbed ‘Mjolnir’ – which will be used to further defend against the increasing threat of adversarial drone activities
NF-16D VISTA becomes X-62A to support new mission
Officials from the 412th Test Wing at Edwards AFB, California, announced on July 30 that the USAF’s Lockheed Martin NF-16D Variable In-flight Simulator Aircraft (VISTA) had been formally redesignated as the X-62A from June 14
XQ-58A Valkyrie completes first payload release test
During the sixth flight test of the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie, the US Air Force Research Laboratory successfully completed the first payload release from the UCAV’s internal weapons bay
XQ-58A damaged following third flight
The Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) completed its third flight as part of the Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstration (LCASD) programme, but a landing mishap has damaged the aircraft.