Air International 2017-09
-
D.Isby - Air Force 2030 /Military/
An F-16 avionics specialist attempts to determine if the aircraft's systems are failing while under space warfare attack by simulated enemy forces.
By 2030, the F-22 Raptor will be one of the oldest fighter types in US Air Force service.
The X-51A WaveRider hypersonic flight test vehicle loaded on a B-52H assigned to the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base prior to the first of three flights, one captive, one dress rehearsal and the final live release, in 2009. Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Boeing, the objective of the X-51A programme was to demonstrate the ability to use air-breathing, hydro-carbon propulsion in the hypersonic flight regime, which is flight more than five times the speed of sound.
Research and development funding is contained in the Air Force FY2018 budget request for the Next Generation Air Dominance programme. This is a concept shot of Boeing's F-X which could be a possible contender.
A crew chief, marshals an F-35A Lightning II on the Nellis flight line. The fifth-generation fighter will still be in production in 2030 when it will be the backbone of the US Air Force fighter force.