June 2, 2020 | International, Aerospace

The Air Force's Goal: Turn Cargo Planes into Makeshift Bombers

The Air Force is proposing turning unarmed military cargo jets into temporary bombers.
Cargo jets, with their large internal volume, could launch missiles from safe distances, far away from enemy forces.
The Air Force has already successfully tested dropping simulated munitions from the back of airplanes.

The U.S. Air Force is looking at arming otherwise unarmed cargo planes, pressing them into service as makeshift bombers. The service believes future wars with adversaries like Russia or China will require plenty of aerial firepower and transport planes, loaded with pallets of cruise missiles, could provide an inexpensive solution.

According to Defense News, the Air Force thinks aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III could become part-time missile trucks.

The unarmed aircraft typically shuttle troops and equipment, but in a pinch, would be equipped with “smart pallets” carrying long-range cruise missiles and other munitions.

The pallets would be capable of feeding position, navigation, and targeting data to their onboard missiles. Once dropped from the rear of the aircraft, the pallets would quickly release their missile cargoes, sending them downrange to their targets. The larger the aircraft, the more missiles it could carry.

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August 14, 2020 | International, C4ISR, Security

BAE Systems Wins Contract to Deliver and Manage Secure Networks Across Essential Government Agencies
August 12, 2020 - The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded BAE Systems a five-year $85 million contract1 to continue to develop, deploy, modernize, and maintain cross-domain solutions that allow for secure transfer of sensitive information between government networks. The work on the contract will enable the secure exchange of data—including streaming video, images and audio—to enhance mission collaboration. BAE Systems will also provide research, development, and evaluation of new technologies, including the integration of innovative artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005454/en/ “As the military cyberspace battlefield expands, we understand how critical it is that secure, innovative intelligence solutions are available to warfighting commands and combat support agencies to communicate safety and effectively,” said Pete Trainer, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Air Force Solutions business. “We are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory and provide our expertise in high-assurance, cross-domain technologies to meet this new mission need. Our services will provide end-users access to virtual information and analysis faster, allowing them to make informed decisions quickly.” BAE Systems is a leading systems integrator supporting militaries, governments, and U.S. intelligence community members across the globe. The company's advanced technologies and services protect people and national security, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. 1 This material is based upon work supported by the Air Force Research Lab under Contract No. FA8750-20-F-0007. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Air Force Research Lab. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005454/en/ (Photo: BAE Systems)
June 3, 2021 | International, Aerospace

Red 6, augmented realty fighter pilot training startup, raises $30 million
Red 6, an augmented reality fighter pilot training startup, has raised a $30 million round of financing.
February 14, 2024 | International, Aerospace

Bridging the FLIT gap - Skies Mag
With the current contracted fighter lead-in training program coming to an end in March 2024, and its replacement not expected to be ready until after 2030, the Air Force is turning to allies to help prepare its future fighter pilots.

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The Air Force's Goal: Turn Cargo Planes into Makeshift Bombers

On the same subject

Red 6, augmented realty fighter pilot training startup, raises $30 million Red 6, an augmented reality fighter pilot training startup, has raised a $30 million round of financing.

Bridging the FLIT gap - Skies Mag With the current contracted fighter lead-in training program coming to an end in March 2024, and its replacement not expected to be ready until after 2030, the Air Force is turning to allies to help prepare its future fighter pilots.

Red 6, augmented realty fighter pilot training startup, raises $30 million
Red 6, an augmented reality fighter pilot training startup, has raised a $30 million round of financing.

Bridging the FLIT gap - Skies Mag
With the current contracted fighter lead-in training program coming to an end in March 2024, and its replacement not expected to be ready until after 2030, the Air Force is turning to allies to help prepare its future fighter pilots.