Air Force LCMC is working to ensure that far-flung depots eventually can print their own parts — with a recent first being Travis AFB’s using their brand, spanking new laser printer to print those toilet seat covers built of a new-fangled polymer from it’s own brand new printer. 

AFA 2019: Maj. Gen. William Cooley explains to Breaking D how Air Force Research Lab is shaping its efforts to move cutting-edge tech to warfighters in the field. AI, autonomy and networking capabilities to link sensors and shooters top the priorities list for the lab’s yet to be established priority “Vanguard” programs, Cooley told Theresa… Keep reading →

AFA 2019: Multi Domain Operations are all about the “connective tissue,” as the Air Force rushes to test and field its building blocks, says Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper. Even after a full day of interviews and meetings, Roper’s enthusiasm for transforming the Air Force into a “software company” remains undimmed, as you can… Keep reading →

Lockheed Martin’s Kim Ponders, who’s done much to help me understand the concepts and some of the technology behind Multi-Domain Command and Control (MDC2), explains what the company is doing and answers one crucial question: Is Multi Domain just another Pentagon buzzword.

The cascade of problems with the plane, which Boeing called low risk and promised to deliver 18 combat-ready aircraft in 2017, is unlikely to deliver planes ready for war for several more years, Gen. Maryanne Miller, the head of Air Mobility Command, made clear today.

The ultimate goal of ABMS, Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper enthused, is to “build a family of systems” and “create something that feels like the Internet of Things for the Air Force.”

The Space & Missile Systems Center’s Space Enterprise Consortium has been so successful at providing competitive prototypes, fast, that SMC wants to expand its scope dramatically.

“So, we’re purposely trying to identify those things that may fundamentally change the way in which we are approaching warfare and our concept of operations.”

AI is a key growth investment area for DoD, with nearly $1 billion allocated for 2020. Breaking Defense takes an in-depth look at what’s happening, and what’s ahead.

“We’ve got to wrestle with ship mix and their capacity; there’s a balancing act.”