Defense Daily reports, “Boston-based Merlin Labs, Inc. said on May 30 that it is using data from flights of a KC-135 at MacDill AFB, Fla., ‘to better understand crew workload drivers and gather data to expand the autonomous capabilities of the Merlin Pilot for military use cases.’”
Full Story (Defense Daily)
Tag: KC-135
USAF Grounds KC-135 to Investigate Faulty Tail Assembly Part
Aviation Week reports that the US Air Force “has temporarily grounded its workhorse Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker fleet, along with reconnaissance variants of the airframe, until they can be inspected for a nonconforming part in the tail assembly.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Air Force AMC Seeking Plan for Launching 100 UAVs from Single KC-135
Aviation Week reported, “The U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) wants a plan within two months to launch 100 UAVs from a single aging KC-135 Stratotanker.” The goal was “one of several efforts outlined by AMC Commander Gen. Mike Minihan in an internal memorandum to commanders that was posted to multiple social media networks and confirmed by Aviation Week on Jan. 27. … The memorandum, the first of eight monthly orders from Minihan to commanders, outlines an aggressive timeline for the Air Force’s mobility fleet to be prepared for a possible conflict with China in 2025.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
U.S. Air Force Approves Plan for AI Pilot Testing on KC-135
Flying Magazine reports, “The U.S. Air Force has signed off on a plan to put AI in the left seat of its KC-135 tanker fleet. Autonomous flight developer Merlin announced it will begin flying the converted Boeing 707s, among the oldest airframes in the fleet, with Merlin Pilot, an AI-driven robotic flight system, in 2025.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
U.S. Air Force Set to Add Drone Launchers to KC-135 Tankers
The War Zone reports, “The U.S. Air Force has developed a means to launch small drones from its KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, and is now looking at adding that capability to the fleet. The service says the tankers could send out uncrewed aerial systems to help defend themselves from incoming threats and just provide useful additional situational awareness, as well as to potentially perform other missions in the future.”
Full Story (The War Zone)