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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.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a32714464/air-force-cargo-planes-makeshift-bombers/

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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 19, 2021

    January 20, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 19, 2021

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Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (96.1%); Bremerton, Washington (1.7%); Kings Bay, Georgia (1.7%); and Newport, Rhode Island (0.5%), and is expected to be completed by September 2021. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2025. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and engineering (Navy) funds in the amount of $250,000 (80%); and 2020 research, development, test and engineering (Navy) funds in the amount of $63,000 (20%), will be obligated at time of award, of which funding in the amount of $63,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured and is a sole-source award pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(3) – Industrial Mobilization. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. 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Environmental compliance programs include clean air, safe drinking water, clean water, hazardous waste, pollution prevention, solid waste management, pesticide compliance, emergency planning and community right-to-know act, ozone-depleting substances management, storage tank management, environmental quality assessment, environmental sampling and analysis and overall environmental compliance oversight. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance (Navy) funds. Work will be performed in the Joint Region Marianas area of responsibility and is expected to be completed by January 2026. Work under the initial task order will be performed in Guam and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,447,016 will be obligated under the initial task order at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. 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    September 23, 2021 | International, Land

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  • Another win for Boeing: New Zealand commits to the P-8 with $1.6 billion deal

    July 10, 2018 | International, Aerospace

    Another win for Boeing: New Zealand commits to the P-8 with $1.6 billion deal

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