Personnel at MacDill Air Force Base (KMCF) in Tampa, Florida, closed the base to all nonessential personnel on Tuesday and have begun evacuating aircraft for the second time in as many weeks following Hurricane Helene. The base avoided the worst of Helene but sits in the middle of Tampa Bay, directly in Milton’s projected path. It is also home to the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command.

• READ MORE: NASA Postpones Europa Clipper Launch as Hurricane Milton Takes Aim at Cape Canaveral

According to an Air Force spokeswoman, MacDill’s 6th Refueling Wing this week relocated 12 KC-135 Stratotankers to McConnell Air Force Base (KIAB) in Kansas, just two days after the aircraft returned home. The spokeswoman also said that the 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead Air Reserve Base (KHST) near Miami has begun relocating seven F-16 fighters to San Antonio.

The U.S. Navy and Space Force, meanwhile, are preparing to close bases across Florida and southeast Georgia. Navy officials told Military.com that aircraft will be evacuated from Naval Station Mayport off the coast of Jacksonville or hangared at the base.

Patrick Space Force Base near Cape Canaveral will close to nonessential personnel from Wednesday to Friday. Officials this week also postponed the launch of NASA and SpaceX’s Europa Clipper at nearby Kennedy Space Center. Milton is expected to hit the Space Coast after making landfall near Tampa.

• READ MORE: ‘Hurricane Hunters’ Fly Into the Eye of Hurricane Milton

The hurricane has also triggered airport closures across Florida and is expected to produce a potentially devastating storm surge.

As the military moves aircraft out of Milton’s path, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will continue to send its “hurricane hunters”—a pair of Lockheed WP-3Ds, or P-3s, affectionately dubbed “Kermit” and “Miss Piggy,” and a Gulfstream IV-SP nicknamed “Gonzo”—into the eye of the storm to help predict its trajectory.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Military Evacuates Aircraft Ahead of Hurricane Milton Landfall appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Over the course of two flights on May 15 and 16 at MacDill Air Force Base (KMCF) in Florida, engineers gathered data that will inform the development of the company’s autonomous flight system, Merlin Pilot. Intended to reduce the workload of pilots amid the ongoing pilot shortage—but not replace them, at least in the short term—the technology has also drawn the attention of government agencies, including the Air Force.

Merlin engineers observed Air Force pilots as they performed various tasks and maneuvers. The goal of the campaign was to identify areas where automation could be most useful for safety, efficiency, and cost savings. Teams gathered data on pilot priorities, for example, to implement automation in a way that could allow pilots to focus on the most critical tasks.

“The data collected during these flights is critical to our phased approach to autonomy, starting with reduced crew operations, and to materially evolving our advanced automation systems,” said Matt George, CEO of Merlin. “Being able to observe multiple aerial refueling flights and see exactly how pilots are focused on critical tasks like take-off, landing, and communications in operational military use cases has given us valuable insight.”

Physical assessments, observations, and crew interviews were conducted to determine how certain KC-135 operations could be integrated into the autonomous system.

The data will further be used to support a contract between Merlin, the Air Force, Air Mobility Command (AMC), and Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) to design, integrate, test, and perform in-flight demos of Merlin Pilot on the aerial refueling tanker. The Air Force previously enlisted Merlin to explore reduced crew capabilities for the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules and is looking to automate other aircraft, such as the KC-46A Pegasus and UH-60A Blackhawk.

The FAA has also shown interest in Merlin, awarding it a $1 million contract for automated cargo network flight trials in Alaska, which the company completed successfully in July. Other aircraft that have been equipped with Merlin Pilot include the Beechcraft King Air, de Havilland Twin Otter, Cessna Caravan, Long-EZ, and Cozy Mark IV.

Merlin is seeking supplemental type certification from the FAA and has already obtained a Part 135 air operator certificate from New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority, which covers air operations for helicopters and small airplanes.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Merlin Developing Autonomous Flight Tech With Air Force Pilot Input appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The incident occurred while a crew of five conducted touch-and-go landings Wednesday afternoon at Sioux City Air National Guard Base, Iowa, the U.S. Air National Guard 185th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) said in a statement. No one on board the aircraft was reported injured.

• READ MORE: USAF Tests Reach of KC-135s in 72-Hour Endurance Mission

“The front landing gear of the aircraft was not deployed as the aircraft came to a full stop on the airport’s main runway,” the 185th ARW said in a statement. “While there is damage to the nose, the rest of the aircraft remains undamaged.” 

Immediately following the incident, the airport’s Runway 36 remained open, while the main runway at Sioux Gateway Airport (KSUX) was closed as crash recovery personnel removed the aircraft.

The post KC-135 Stratotanker Crash in Iowa Under Investigation appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In February, the Mountain View, California-based aircraft automation firm was contracted by the U.S. Air Force to explore the feasibility of automating large, multiengine jets, such as the KC-135 Stratotanker refueler. 

• READ MORE: Reliable Robotics Demos Automated Flight System in FAA Trials

“This is of great value to the U.S. government because it will help solve the demand of short to medium range, point-to-point logistics without the need to manufacture new aircraft, which will ensure critical logistics are available at speed and scale to all regions of the country,” Colonel Sean R. McClune, who leads the Mobility Capabilities Development Team for the Air Force, said at the time of the announcement.

Reliable Robotics said Wednesday it had made “significant progress” in compiling detailed analysis of the applicability of its remotely operated aircraft system (ROAS) for cargo and refueling operations. The system enables continuous autopilot engagement through all phases of aircraft operation, including taxi, takeoff, and landing with a remote pilot supervising operations, according to the company.

• READ MORE: U.S. Air Force To Test Single-Pilot C-130 Flight Crews

Among the findings, the company said, was that airframes can accommodate the system upgrades “with only modest adjustments for remote piloting and select refueling operations.” The company also found that ROAS on larger airframes can achieve the same levels of system reliability required under FAA certification and that large remotely piloted military aircraft can operate more efficiently and with flexibility equivalent to commercial operations without the need to manufacture new aircraft.

• READ MORE: Air Force KC-46 Flies Refueling Mission Without Copilot

“Automating existing inventory at fractional costs will provide commanders unprecedented flexibility and safety in meeting acute operational demands with the smallest deployed human footprint,” said David O’Brien, a retired Air Force major general who serves as senior vice president of government solutions at Reliable Robotics. 

The post Milestone Reported in Air Force Automation Feasibility Study appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

During the endurance event—a first for the aircraft—the two Stratotankers flew more than 36,000 miles, refueling B-2 Spirits, B-52 Stratofortresses, an E-3 Sentry, and an E-6B Mercury. They landed only to refuel and switch crews, and service engine oil while at least one engine was running, according to the Air Force.

The exercise was a demonstration of the aircraft fleet’s ability to execute a mission over large distances and under extended conditions, the Air Force said.

The mission ran from October 4 through 7, and included crews from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, along with crews from the 141st Air Refueling Wing, 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, California, and 134th Air Refueling Wing at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee.

• READ MORE: USAF Crew Sets Record With 24-Hour KC-46A Pegasus Flight

“The execution of this endurance mission is a proof of concept to support Pacific Air Force’s planning efforts and the Air Force’s focus on Persistent Mission Generation,” Col. Craig Giles, 92nd Maintenance Group commander, said in a statement. “Two aircraft performed a series of engine running crew changes and hot-pit refuels to minimize the amount of time aircraft are on the ground and maximize aircraft reliability by eliminating the need to cycle power, hydraulics, and avionics.” 

Aircraft maintenance technicians also performed concurrent engine oil servicing during crew changes while an engine was left running.

“This allowed the crews to demonstrate tanker ‘drop-in’ concept with minimum time spent vulnerable on the ground, a strategy that is crucial to survivability in a high-end contested fight,” the service said.

• READ MORE: National Museum of U.S. Air Force To Add Iconic KC-135 To Collection

The Stratotanker was fielded in the late 1950s in order to extend the reach of Strategic Air Command during the Cold War. When it entered service in 1957, the KC-135 became a modernization milestone when it replaced propeller driven tankers of the post-war period. 

The Air Force initially purchased 732 KC-135s, the last of which was delivered in 1965. The service currently has an inventory of 396 aircraft: 153 in active duty, 171 in Air National Guard and 72 in Air Force Reserve.

The post USAF Tests Reach of KC-135s in 72-Hour Endurance Mission appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• A requirement that the secretary of defense and the director of National Intelligence take actions to address unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)
• The Air Force to retire some of its legacy aircraft
• A nearly 3 percent pay raise for military personnel and civilian defense workers in the coming fiscal year 

Lawmakers could be called to vote on the $777.7 billion national security spending package Wednesday, but the vote could be pushed to later in the week, according to a spokesperson for the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The bill was sent to the Senate for vote after the House affirmed the package on Dec. 7 in a 363-70 vote. 

“This year’s agreement continues the Armed Services Committees’ 61-year tradition of working together to support our troops and strengthen national security,” Republican and Democrat leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee said in a joint statement upon the House vote last week. 

“We urge Congress to pass the NDAA quickly and the President to sign it when it reaches his desk.”

What’s In The Bill

The spending package includes authorization of a 2.7 percent pay raise for the military and an overhaul of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, aimed at combating sexual assault. 

The bill also requires the secretary of defense and the director of National Intelligence to take actions to address unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). Last month, the Department of Defense announced it is expanding efforts to detect and identify UAP that could pose flight risks near military training ranges and installations through an expansion of data collection.

Here’s a breakdown of Fiscal Year 2022 defense funding levels:

• Department of Defense: $740.30 billion
• Department of Energy: $27.8 billion
• NDAA topline: $768.2 billion
• Defense-related activities outside of NDAA jurisdiction: $9.9 billion

Under the bicameral, bipartisan agreement, the U.S. Air Force will be allowed to retire some of its legacy aircraft in order to focus its resources on modernization. Lawmakers, however, drew the line at allowing the Air Force to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II. 

The service—which has long attempted to retire the aircraft affectionately known as the Warthog—currently has a fleet of approximately 281 aircraft. 

USAF is allowed, however, to retire 18 KC-135 Stratotankers and is required to retire some older C-130s to reduce its Hercules fleet to a total inventory of 279 aircraft.

Also included in the bill are:

• Two C-130Js for the Navy ($197.9 million) and two KC-130Js for the Marine Corps ($197.9 million)
• One E-2D Hawkeye for the Navy ($191 million)
• Two MQ-4 Tritons for the Navy ($323 million)
• Authorization of $4.4 billion for USAF’s F-35A program
• Five Air Force F-15EX tactical fighters ($576 million)
• 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in fiscal year 2022 to mitigate the Navy’s strike-fighter shortfall ($1 billion)
• F-35 B spares ($117.8 million)

A full summary of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2022 may be found here.

The post Senate Set To Vote On Defense Spending This Week appeared first on FLYING Magazine.