The Defense Department and its partners will hold the next demonstration of the highly anticipated drone swarming concept this fall, according to a top general.
By
Theresa Hitchens on March 31, 2021 at 6:37 PM
A KC-46 refuels an F-35
WASHINGTON: Tankers and cargo aircraft could in future carry their own counter-air missiles or even launch missile-carrying drones to help them survive ever-more sophisticated enemy air defenses, Air Mobility Command head Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost says.
“We have hardpoints on the C-17; we have hardpoints on the KC-46. It’s not a hard stretch to think that we could put one or two missiles on there for self defense,” she told the Mitchell Institute today.
Van Ovost is keen on pushing creative ideas, including the use of “attritables” such as missiles and drones, to ensure the survivability of the air mobility fleet in future warfare with Russia and China recognizing that large, lumbering tankers and cargo jets make relatively easy and high value targets.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc (KTOS) Q4 2020 Earnings Call Transcript fool.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fool.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A skin-crawling scenario on a U.S. fast-attack sub, a Navy SEAL who became a NASA astronaut, and an update to the Army Combat Fitness Test. Plus, a talk with the man in charge of the Army s future ground vehicles, and a change to Marine recon sniper school. That and more on Defense News Weekly for March 26, 2021. Close