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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Air Force Research Laboratory conducted its sixth test of the Valkyrie drone in late March.</li><li>During the test, the drone launched a smaller drone from its internal weapons bay.</li><li>The Air Force is looking at Valkyrie as an autonomous UAV that could support manned aircraft.</li></ul>A Valkyrie drone launched another drone during a recent flight test, <a href="https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2561387/afrl-successfully-completes-xq-58a-valkyrie-flight-and-payload-release-test/">the Air Force Research Laboratory announced Monday</a>.The <keyword id="11051505" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="xq-58a-valkyrie">XQ-58A Valkyrie</keyword> is a long-range <keyword id="148690" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="unmanned-aerial-vehicle">unmanned aerial vehicle</keyword> capable of high subsonic speeds. It was built by Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Low Cost Attritable Aircraft <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="technology">Technology</keyword> (LCAAT) program and <a href="https://www.wpafb.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1777743/xq-58a-valkyrie-demonstrator-completes-inaugural-flight/">first flew on March 5, 2019</a>.<div type="image" title="The XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator, a long-range, high subsonic unmanned air vehicle completed its inaugural flight March 5, 2019 at Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona" height="2173" width="3270" msid="81922470" hostid="261"></div>During its sixth flight test on March 26, 2021, the aircraft conducted its first payload release from its internal weapons bay, launching an Area-I ALTIUS-600 small <keyword id="435993" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Unmanned-aircraft">unmanned aircraft</keyword> system.The Air Force is looking at relatively inexpensive, expendable <keyword id="94769" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword> like the Valkyrie as potential artificial-intelligence-driven autonomous platforms that could fly alongside and support manned fighter aircraft. This is the major focus of the Skyborg program.The Air Force's Skyborg project, <a href="https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2440755/aflcmc-awards-contract-for-skyborg-prototypes/">for which Kratos, Boeing, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems are developing prototypes</a>, is about fielding autonomous unmanned systems that will "enable the Air Force to operate and sustain low-cost, teamed aircraft that can thwart adversaries with quick, decisive actions in contested environments," <a href="https://afresearchlab.com/technology/vanguards/successstories/skyborg">the service says</a>.The smaller, tube-launched autonomous <a href="https://areai.com/wp-content/uploads/Slick-600-V1.pdf">ALTIUS-600 drones provide additional support</a> in the form of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance, counter-drone, electronic-warfare, and strike capabilities.<div type="image" title="An XQ-58A Valkyrie low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle launches at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., Dec. 9, 2020" height="2149" width="3218" msid="81922473" hostid="261"></div>The recent Valkyrie test was not only the first time the payload doors have been opened in flight, Alyson Turri, the demonstration program manager, <a href="https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2561387/afrl-successfully-completes-xq-58a-valkyrie-flight-and-payload-release-test/">said in a statement</a>, but this time the XQ-58A drone also flew higher and faster than it has in previous tests.The recent test followed the Valkyrie drone's fifth flight test in December, <a href="https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2446122/gatewayone-and-attritableone-test-moves-joint-force-one-step-closer-to-iotmil-d/">which involved the aircraft flying alongside Air Force F-22 and F-35A fighters and a Marine Corps F-35B</a>.<div type="image" title="A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II fly in formation with the XQ-58A Valkyrie low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle over the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground testing range, Ariz., during a series of tests Dec. 9, 2020" height="2832" width="4184" msid="81922476" hostid="261"></div>The rocket-launched Valkyrie drone conducted a semi-autonomous flight while carrying a gatewayONE payload built to allow the different fifth-generation aircraft to communicate, though the communication tool lost connectivity shortly after the aircraft took off.Despite the connectivity problem during the testing in December, the Air Force was able to overcome the digital security barriers to allow the F-22's Intra-Flight Data Link and F-35's Multifunctional Advanced Data Link to communicate and transmit data, demonstrating some of the possibilities for this technology.The <a href="https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2561387/afrl-successfully-completes-xq-58a-valkyrie-flight-and-payload-release-test/">Air Force Research Laboratory said that the most recent Valkyrie drone test</a>, which like past tests was conducted at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona and supported by Kratos and Area-I, "further demonstrates the utility of affordable, high performance unmanned air vehicles."

The US Air Force says the Valkyrie drone launched another drone in a first for the aircraft

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Marine Corps conducted its fourth test of its new experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle.</li><li>The XQ-58A Valkyrie sensed and transmitted target data for a force of F-35 stealth fighters.</li></ul>The US Marines successfully tested their experimental unmanned "loyal wingman" aircraft alongside <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-f-35-stealth-fighter-failed-mission-capable-goals-watchdog-2024-10">F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets</a> earlier this month.The flight test, the fourth for the Marine Corp's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-says-the-valkyrie-drone-launched-another-drone-2021-4">XQ-58A Valkyrie</a>, was a milestone for the program that helped to advance the manned-unmanned teaming concept that the military is pursuing, an official said.The Marine Corps <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/3938230/multi-domain-test-event-emerald-flag-provides-opportunity-for-xq-58a-to-demonst/">said</a> last week that during the test at this month's Emerald Flag 2024 exercises at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida, the XQ-58A "effectively demonstrated its capabilities as a forward-deployed sensing platform— providing critical threat targeting data to Marine Corps fifth-generation aircraft to rapidly close advanced kill chains."<div type="image" title="Three aircraft — one in front and two behind it — fly above a blue ocean." height="612" width="1088" msid="114518236" hostid="261" sizebytes="7730"></div>The XG-58A Valkyrie, manufactured by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, is an experimental stealth <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-budget-58-billion-build-ai-powered-valkyrie-aircraft-2023-8">unmanned aerial combat aircraft</a> designed to gather data and relay scouting information for its partner aircraft, as well as offer other combat options.The Marine Corps ordered a pair of these aircraft as part of the Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer – Portfolio (PAACK-P) program in late 2022. The first test flight for the Marines followed in October 2023. Other service branches have been experimenting with them as well.These types of unmanned aircraft, dubbed "loyal wingmen," have the capacity for artificial intelligence-driven autonomy. The Valkyrie conducted its first flight back in 2019 and is part of the US Air Force's Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator Program.Recent testing, which Col. Derek Brannon, the branch head for the Cunningham Group and deputy commandant for aviation, said "marked another milestone in the Marine Corps' unmanned tactical aircraft program." During the flight, the Valkyrie connected with the F-35Bs and other aircraft and ground participants via tactical data links, enabling digital communication. The F-35, a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, is manufactured by Lockheed Martin and intended as a kind of quarterback for American combat power. Aircraft like the Valkyrie and other similar projects have the potential to enhance the capability.<div type="image" title="An F-35 stealth fighter jet sits on the tarmac of an aircraft carrier with a flight operator standing in the distance." height="2400" width="3600" msid="114518238" hostid="261" sizebytes="359472"></div>Brannon said in a statement that "the success of this flight test during Emerald Flag pushed the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-collaborative-combat-aircraft-drones-fighter-jets-2023-5">manned-unmanned teaming concept</a> a step further for the entire Joint Force."The testing at that event was carried out in connection with US Air Force test and evaluation units, naval aviation operations, and defense engineering offices.Emerald Flag, the Corps said, is focused on testing new and emerging technologies from across the military, including "integrating advanced long-range kill chains." These efforts, it said, enable "programs through a range of realistic combat training environments on air, space, and cyber space platforms."

US Marines put their new experimental 'loyal wingman' to the test finding targets for a force of fifth-gen F-35 stealth fighters

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russell T Davies slammed the bisexual reveal in "<keyword id="42312" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Loki">Loki</keyword>" during a virtual pride month panel.</li><li>In the panel, he criticized the way streaming platforms are handling LGBTQ+ stories.</li><li>Davies said that the one-line reference in "Loki" was "a ridiculous, craven, feeble gesture."</li></ul>The creator of "<keyword id="10775256" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="its-a-sin">It's a Sin</keyword>," Russell T Davies slammed the bisexual reveal in "Loki" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9suYJzmfVI">during a virtual pride month panel in July for a UK university</a>.Davies was asked during the panel whether it is easier to tell LGBTQ+ stories. To this, the writer said that TV Drama commissioners "want gay stories" before criticizing how streaming services are handling LGBTQ+ stories."Nonetheless, I think huge, cleaning warning bells are ringing as the giants rise up with Netflix and <keyword id="46161" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Disney">Disney</keyword>+ especially," Davies said. "I think that's a very great worry. 'Loki' makes one reference to being bisexual once, and everyone's like, 'Oh my god, it's like a pansexual show.' It's like one word. He said the word 'prince,' and we're meant to go, 'Thank you, Disney! Aren't you marvelous?'"The 58-year-old screenwriter continued: "It's pathetic. It's a ridiculous, craven, feeble gesture towards the vital politics and the stories that should be told."<div type="image" title="Loki Sylvie" height="1313" width="1750" msid="85240235" hostid="261"></div>In 2014, a <keyword id="47501" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Marvel">Marvel</keyword> comic writer <a href="https://comicbook.com/news/loki-is-bisexual-will-shift-between-genders-says-loki-agent-of-asgard-writer/">confirmed</a> that Loki is bisexual and genderfluid. The Disney+ series "Loki" included references to both of these identities, canonizing them in the <keyword id="2430108" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Marvel-Cinematic-Universe">Marvel Cinematic Universe</keyword>. In <a href="https://www.insider.com/loki-bisexual-episode-three-marvel-disney-plus-2021-6">the third episode</a>, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and a female version of himself, Sylvie, (Sophia Di Martino) have a conversation about their previous relationship in which Sylvie asks about "would-be-princesses" or "princes" implying they had both been romantically involved with both men and women.After the third episode was released revealing Loki's bisexuality, the director of "Loki," Kate Herron, took to Twitter celebrating the achievement.Herron wrote: "From the moment I joined @LokiOfficial it was very important to me, and my goal, to acknowledge Loki was bisexual. It is a part of who he is and who I am too. I know this is a small step but I'm happy, and heart is so full, to say that this is now Canon in #mcu"However, <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword> writer Rotem Rusak voiced the concerns of some <keyword id="412910" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="MCU">MCU</keyword> fans when speaking to <a href="https://nerdist.com/article/what-shoud-queer-representation-in-mcu-look-like/">Nerdist</a> that Marvel is doing the "least amount of work" to appear representative.She told Nerdist: "If skipping a single scene or line is enough to erase a character's queerness, that's not true <keyword id="581888" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="representation">representation</keyword>."Disney has a history of problems with including substantial <a href="https://www.insider.com/luca-lgbt-gay-queer-coded-2021-6">queer representation</a> in its stories. Both <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a27334096/avengers-endgame-gay-representation/">"Avengers: Endgame"</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-gay-moment-not-enough-for-lgbtq-representation?render-embed=video&amp;r=US&amp;IR=Tamp;IR=T">"Star Wars: Rise of The Skywalker"</a> had LGBTQ characters but they were in the background and could be easily missed.Tessa Thompson has confirmed that her character in the MCU Valkyrie was also bisexual in <a href="https://twitter.com/TessaThompson_x/status/921876958673113088">a tweet</a> in 2017 but the scene in "Thor Ragnarok" that would have <a href="https://collider.com/thor-ragnarok-valkyrie-bisexual-scene-cut-taika-waititi/">shown this was cut</a>.Marvel seems to be taking a step towards more queer representation with the upcoming "The Eternals" movie having an <a href="https://ew.com/movies/2020/02/15/the-eternals-lgbtq-kiss/">openly gay superhero and an onscreen LGBTQ kiss.</a> Herron also told <a href="https://collider.com/loki-bisexual-marvel-kate-herron/">Collider</a> that now the "door" is open to Loki's bisexuality she hopes that story can be explored more in future appearances.

'It's a Sin' writer calls Loki's bisexual reveal a 'pathetic,' 'feeble' gesture

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Navy is working on a variety of unmanned platforms to augment the fleet's operations.</li><li>Recent developments with its unmanned aerial systems reflect the major role those system could play in the Navy's future fleet.</li></ul>In December, the <keyword id="10959315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mq-25">MQ-25</keyword> Stingray successfully <a href="https://www.boeing.com/features/2020/12/mq-25-takes-off-with-aerial-refueling-store.page" target="_top">made</a> its first flight with an aerial refueling store, carrying a <a href="https://www.cobhammissionsystems.com/air-to-air-refuelling/hose-and-drogue-systems/buddy-refuelling-pods/" target="_top">Cobham ARS</a> under its left wing for about 2.5 hours.The flight was intended to test the drone's aerodynamics with the same system used by the Navy's F/A-18s for aerial-refueling missions.Capt. Chad Reed, the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager, <a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-statements?item=130780" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the test was "one big step closer in our evaluation of how the MQ-25 will fulfill its primary mission in the fleet - aerial refueling."The MQ-25 milestone was followed in February by a test in which an unmanned resupply drone <a href="https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2511732/naval-air-force-atlantic-demonstrates-uas-prototype/" target="_top">delivered</a> spare parts to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.The Navy has <a href="https://news.usni.org/2021/03/18/lawmakers-question-who-will-shepherd-navys-future-unmanned-fleet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggled</a> with its unmanned platforms, but recent developments show it is getting serious about unmanned aerial systems and reflect the major role those system could have in the future fleet.<h2>The first carrier-based drone</h2><div type="image" title="Navy RQ-21A Blackjack drone" height="1500" width="2000" msid="81591349" hostid="261"></div>The Stingray is not the Navy's first drone. Smaller models like the ScanEagle, RQ-21 Blackjack, and MQ-8 Fire Scout have seen service on various Navy vessels, while versions of the MQ-4C Triton, which is similar to the Stingray in size, have been flown by the Navy from land for at least three years.But none of those drones have operated on carriers. The Navy began searching for a carrier-based drone in 2006 with the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program.The program originally called for a drone with strike and reconnaissance capabilities, but the increased range of anti-ship defenses and an expected shortage of pilots in the future led the Navy to shift the program's focus to aerial refueling.The idea was sound: An unmanned aerial-refueling system would free up pilots and other carrier aircraft for combat duties and extend the range of a carrier's air wing by almost 50%.By 2013, Northrop Grumman's X-47B demonstrator had successfully taken off from and landed on USS George H.W. Bush. Despite being the frontrunner, Northrup Grumman withdrew the X-47B from consideration in 2017 due to concerns that it could not be repurposed in a cost-effective manner.<div type="image" title="Navy Boeing MQ-25 refueling drone tanker" height="765" width="1400" msid="81591351" hostid="261"></div>Of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-based-drone-race-mq-25-stingray-2018-4#general-atomics-3" target="_top">three designs</a> remaining, the Navy selected Boeing's on April 30, 2018. A year later, the Stingray made its first flight.December's test was the first time the Stingray carried the aerial-refueling technology that is central to its mission. Future tests will involve extending and retracting the ARS hose, as well as flights with F/A-18s. Deck-handling tests aboard carriers are also being planned."What we're focusing on is launching, landings, moving it around on the deck, bringing it up, taking it down in the hangar bay - how do we position those assets and how can we support the air wing?" Adm. James Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations for war-fighting requirements and capabilities, said of the MQ-25 at a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Thursday.The <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/mq-25-stingray-unmanned-aerial-refuelling-aircraft/" target="_top">Stingray</a> will be able to carry 15,000 pounds of fuel about 500 nautical miles. It will operate alongside and refuel EA-18G Growler electronic-warfare aircraft as well as F/A-18 and F-35C fighters.The MQ-25 is expected to reach initial operating capability by 2024. While the Navy has ordered seven for testing, it intends to have as many as 72 in service. The Navy also plans to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-announces-new-warrant-officer-program-for-mq25-refueling-drone-2020-12" target="_top">recruit</a> 450 new warrant officers over the next six to 10 years to operate MQ-25s.With the December tests, the MQ-25 has logged more than 30 hours of training flights.<h2>Blue Water <keyword id="435993" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Unmanned-aircraft">Unmanned Aircraft</keyword> System</h2><div type="image" title="Navy unmanned aerial system UAV drone resupply" height="1351" width="2000" msid="81591352" hostid="261"></div>The Navy's plans for unmanned systems do not end at aerial refueling.On February 21, a Blue Water Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) delivered "light-weight logistical equipment" to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.The drone, built by Texas-based aerospace company <a href="https://skyways.com/#usecases" target="_top">Skyways</a>, is capable of traveling 500 miles and carrying 30-pound loads.Despite the small cargo, Capt. John Bush, director of aircraft material and engineering for Naval Air Forces Atlantic, <a href="https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2511732/naval-air-force-atlantic-demonstrates-uas-prototype/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the test "a first step in revolutionizing logistics support to maximize operational availability and lethality for these critical capital assets."The Navy has said that up to 90% of the logistical issues that move ships into non-mission-capable or partially mission-capable status can be fixed with components weighing less than 50 pounds.SH-60 Seahawk helicopters or V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft currently make such deliveries, but unmanned aircraft are seen as a cost-effective alternative.<h2>The unmanned future</h2><div type="image" title="Navy MQ-8B Fire Scout drone helicopter" height="1429" width="2000" msid="81591354" hostid="261"></div>Of course, the Navy's drones are not just for logistics. Most serve an important role by carrying out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and some, like the <keyword id="10959314" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mq-8b">MQ-8B</keyword>, can actually be armed with missiles."There is some payload capacity in [the MQ-25] that we think has great promise for us, so I think initially we would transition to ISR" before moving to more complex electronic-attack or strike missions, Kilby said Thursday."We think we could get upward of 40% of the aircraft in an air wing that are unmanned and then transition beyond that," Kilby said.Navy submarines <a href="https://seapowermagazine.org/admiral-submarine-launched-uas-proving-awesome-capability/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are also working on</a> using drones to aid targeting. Since subs avoid launching torpedoes at periscope depth to minimize the risk of being spotted, drones could ensure long-range torpedo attacks hit their mark.The service reached initial operational capability with a sub-launched unmanned aerial system in September, Rear Adm. Dave Goggins, the Navy's program executive officer for submarines, <a href="https://seapowermagazine.org/admiral-submarine-launched-uas-proving-awesome-capability/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during a Naval Submarine League webinar in November, calling it "a pretty awesome capability to provide to the fleet."Completely <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/R45757.pdf" target="_top">unmanned ships and underwater vehicles</a> tasked with logistics, anti-submarine warfare, and mine-clearing missions are also in development. The Navy <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/10/2002549918/-1/-1/0/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF/SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20DEC%2020_NAVY_OSD_OMB_FINAL.PDF" target="_top">plans</a> to have 143 unmanned vessels in service by 2045.<div type="image" title="xq 58a valkyrie kratos.JPG" height="1462" width="2200" msid="81591357" hostid="261"></div>The Marine Corps' <a href="https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Portals/142/Docs/CMC38%20Force%20Design%202030%20Report%20Phase%20I%20and%20II.pdf?ver=2020-03-26-121328-460" target="_top">Force Design 2030</a> report also calls for a 50% increase in unmanned-aerial-vehicle squadrons. The Corps <a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/03/10/marines-ditch-mux-ship-based-drone-to-pursue-large-land-based-uas-smaller-shipboard-vehicle" target="_top">hop</a><a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/03/10/marines-ditch-mux-ship-based-drone-to-pursue-large-land-based-uas-smaller-shipboard-vehicle" target="_top">es</a> to acquire "a family of systems" of different sizes and capabilities to meet its drone requirements.With development underway on unmanned combat aircraft like the Kratos <a href="https://www.kratosdefense.com/systems-and-platforms/unmanned-systems/aerial/tactical-uavs" target="_top">XQ-58 Valkyrie</a> and the Boeing <a href="http://www.boeing.com/defense/airpower-teaming-system/" target="_top">Airpower Teaming System</a>, some <a href="https://cimsec.org/the-future-is-unmanned-why-the-navys-next-generation-fighter-shouldnt-have-a-pilot/" target="_top">argue</a> the Navy's <a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/08/18/navy-quietly-starts-development-of-next-generation-carrier-fighter-plans-call-for-manned-long-range-aircraft" target="_top">next carrier-</a><a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/08/18/navy-quietly-starts-development-of-next-generation-carrier-fighter-plans-call-for-manned-long-range-aircraft" target="_top">based</a><a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/08/18/navy-quietly-starts-development-of-next-generation-carrier-fighter-plans-call-for-manned-long-range-aircraft" target="_top"> fighter</a> should be unmanned as well.The idea may not be so far-fetched; last summer, an artificial-intelligence program developed by Heron Systems <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-just-beat-a-human-pilot-in-a-simulated-dogfight-2020-8" target="_top">defeated a US Air Force F-16 pilot</a> in five simulated dogfights. Heron Systems claimed the program went through 4 billion simulations before the event, though <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-pilot-not-surprised-ai-beat-human-in-simulated-dogfight-2020-8" target="_top">former fighter pilots told Insider the program still wasn't comparable to a human pilot</a>."These sustained investments will yield new capabilities extending well beyond the effectiveness of standalone platforms or human-centered systems," Thomas Harker, acting Secretary of the Navy, said in the service's <a href="https://www.navy.mil/Portals/1/Strategic/20210315%20Unmanned%20Campaign_Final_LowRes.pdf?ver=LtCZ-BPlWki6vCBTdgtDMA%3D%3D" target="_top">recently released</a> Unmanned Campaign Framework. "They will transform naval warfare by providing asymmetric advantages to each and every sailor and Marine."

The Navy is getting closer to relying on pilotless planes to keep its fighters flying

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Air Force on Tuesday tested the XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator, which is designed to fight against Russia and China in suicide missions too dangerous for manned fighter jets.</li><li>The US has F-22 and F-35 fighter jets for the explicit purpose of penetrating heavily defended airspaces. Russia and China have responded with counter-stealth technologies and strategies that make some missions too dangerous for piloted aircraft.</li><li>Instead, a swarm of dozens of long-range, cheap Valkyries could swarm, bomb, jam, spot, and expose enemy missile defenses for the cost of just a handful of F-22s or F-35s. </li></ul>The US Air Force on Tuesday tested the XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator, which it calls a "long-range, high subsonic unmanned air vehicle" designed to fight against Russia and China in suicide missions too dangerous for manned fighter jets.The Air Force tested the Valkyrie as part of its Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology program, which in layman's terms means a program to create cheap aircraft that can soak up enemy missiles, clearing the way for other jets to follow. The US has stealth fighter jets like the F-22 and F-35 for the explicit purpose of penetrating heavily defended airspaces, but top adversaries like Russia and China have responded with a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/counter-stealth" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> wide array of counter-stealth technologies and strategies</a>.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-russia-china-radar-counter-stealth-2017-5">An F-35 pilot explains why Russia and China's counter-stealth can't stop him</a>According to Justin Bronk, a combat aviation expert at the Royal United Services Institute, some threats even these elite jets likely can't survive. <h2>Suicide mission</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>"Missions which are effectively one way, where there's a campaign-critical target that is realistically too high threat to expect" jets to survive call for drones, said Bronk.While the F-22 and F-35 represent true all-aspect stealth aircraft optimized to evade detection, tracking, and interception via missiles, they have a fatal weakness.To drop bombs or fire missiles, both aircraft must open up their bomb bays, ruining their stealth shaping. Additionally, radar or communications emissions may compromise their operations. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-south-china-sea-japan-counter-stealth-2017-1">The US just put China on notice with F-35s in the Pacific - but China may be ready with a counter punch</a>"Even if you get there and deliver munitions, you're probably not getting out of it," Bronk said of flying manned aircraft in ultra-high threat scenarios. The cheapest F-35s the US will ever buy will likely cost $80 million. F-22s, bought in small numbers, cost around $140 million each. Perhaps even more valuable than the jet, is the US pilot manning each system.Instead, why not send a cheap drone? Or at the stated cost of $2-3 million a pop, why not a swarm of drones?Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-south-china-sea-japan-counter-stealth-2017-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">F-22s and F-35s can't talk to each other in high-end combat - but pilots found a workaround</a>The Valkyrie can't carry many weapons. It's not meant to carry any air-to-air missiles, it can't go very fast, and it will never be a dogfighter, said Bronk. "But if you can pump these out for $3 million at 100 or so a year, you could hugely increase the Air Force's combat edge," he continued. <h2>The battle plan</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>With a range of between 1,500 and 2,000 nautical miles, the Valkyrie far outranges US stealth fighters or fighters of any kind. This lends itself to a swarming attack, wherein dozens or even hundreds of Valkyries come flying in at high subsonic speeds to either drop air-to-ground bombs, jam radars with electronic warfare, spy on enemy missile sites, or even just soak up the first wave of enemy missiles, which incidentally would also likely provide targeting data to other US assets.Next, the US's manned aircraft could take on a greatly softened up target, which has just weathered a swarm of jamming, bombing, semi-stealthy drones forcing them to fire millions of dollars worth of missiles at cheap jets essentially meant to be shot down. "XQ-58A is the first example of a class of UAV that is defined by low procurement and operating costs while providing game changing combat capability," Doug Szczublewski, the Air Force's XQ-58A Program Manager <a href="https://www.wpafb.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1777743/xq-58a-valkyrie-demonstrator-completes-inaugural-flight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a release. </a>

The US Air Force just tested a stealth combat drone for suicide missions against Russia and China

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Over the past 30 years, the US Air Force's fighter fleet has shrunk.</li><li>As the service focuses on competition with China, it wants an affordable way to expand that fleet.</li></ul>On April 11, General Atomics <a href="https://www.ga.com/ga-asi-flies-mq-20-avenger-autonomously-using-leo-satcom-datalink" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that AI and human pilots had successfully done combat maneuvers with the company's MQ-20 Avenger unmanned combat aerial vehicle.The test involved human operators sending commands to the aircraft through a satellite in low earth orbit. The aircraft were also tracked and maneuvered by AI pilots operating autonomously. Data was collected and used to retrain and redeploy AI pilots via satellite connection while the aircraft was still airborne.The test is one of the latest developments in the US Air Force's efforts to acquire collaborative combat aircraft — unmanned aircraft capable of operating alongside piloted aircraft or autonomously for all kinds of missions.The collaborative combat aircraft is one of the Air Force's biggest priorities, one that will shape the future of its inventory and influence how it uses its aircraft."We're headed down the path to have much more capability for uncrewed aircraft," Gen. Charles Brown Jr., the Air Force chief of staff, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-u-s-air-force-and-american-defense-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in February. "As you look at collaborative combat aircraft, it can be the sensor, it could be a shooter, it can be a jammer."<h2>A need for 'affordable mass'</h2><div type="image" title="MQ-9 Reapers and F-16 elephant walk Holloman" height="1331" width="2000" msid="99971589" hostid="261"></div>Collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA, are a solution to a problem the Air Force faces as it prepares for an era of great-power competition with China: the size of its fleet.Budget cuts, the <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/what-went-wrong-how-the-f-35-got-to-be-so-expensive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unexpectedly high cost</a> of the F-35 stealth fighter, and the focus on low-intensity counterinsurgency operations for much of the past three decades led that fleet to shrink.In 1989, the Air Force's total fighter inventory was 4,321 aircraft. That fell to 2,584 by 1999 and to 1,176 in 2022, <a href="https://youtu.be/avN6l78aoDo?t=292" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The number of mission-capable fighters — those that can fly and perform at least one mission — is even lower. Worse, the Air Force faces <a href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2023/03/03/perennial-pilot-shortage-puts-air-force-in-precarious-position/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a pilot shortage</a> and its overall number of flight hours <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-flying-hours-decline-again-after-brief-recovery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been decreasing</a>.The Air Force has tried to address those issues in several ways. It is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-new-f15ex-fighter-cant-win-next-war-2021-5" target="_top">acquiring the F-15EX</a>, a modernized version of the F-15 that will replace older models, and it has <a href="https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/air-force-pilot-training-method-17728373.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invested in simulators</a> to accelerate pilot training.The Air Force also continues to develop top-tier assets like the F-35, the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3235326/world-gets-first-look-at-b-21-raider/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">B-21 stealth bomber</a>, and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-are-teaming-up-to-build-next-generation-fighter-jets-2023-1" target="_top">Next Generation Air Dominance</a> program, or NGAD.However, those aircraft are very expensive, their development may still be delayed, and acquiring them doesn't address pilot retention and generation issues. Consequently, the Air Force wants cheaper, capable airframes to provide "<a href="https://www.afa.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Advancements%20in%20Collaborative%20Combat%20Aircraft%20CONOPs%20%28Transcript%29.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affordable mass</a>."<h2>Collaborative combat aircraft</h2><div type="image" title="MQ-1 Predator drone in Iraq" height="1210" width="1614" msid="99971590" hostid="261"></div>The Air Force has used drones for intelligence-gathering and airstrikes for decades, but its premier unmanned combat platforms, the <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104469/mq-1b-predator/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MQ-1 Predator</a> and <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104470/mq-9-reaper/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MQ-9 Reaper</a>, are still operated remotely by humans.CCAs, however, are meant to function remotely or autonomously and to perform a range of missions, including air-to-air combat, airstrikes, and intelligence-gathering. They will be able to operate alongside piloted aircraft in manned-unmanned teams, in which pilots will assign tasks that the CCAs complete on their own. The CCAs will also be able to operate completely autonomously with other CCAs.CCAs are an integral part of NGAD, which seeks to create "a family of systems," not just a single fighter."One way to think about it is that the pod or the weapon that might have been under the wing of crewed aircraft is now flying in separate aircraft and managed by that commander of that aircraft," Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, the service's top civilian official, told lawmakers on May 2."The analysis that we've done shows that the adversary has to honor each of those aircraft, as it is a full threat, and that gives you a great advantage relative to the cost of having those things in the air," Kendall added.<div type="image" title="XQ-58A Valkyrie drone launching" height="1336" width="2000" msid="99971591" hostid="261"></div>CCAs will be piloted by systems that are in development. The Air Force's <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/wildly-successful-skyborg-program-of-record-developing-st/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Skyborg</a> program, which is pursuing an AI-enabled system to control unmanned aircraft, has <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/wildly-successful-skyborg-program-of-record-developing-st/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">successfully demonstrated</a> its capabilities. DARPA's <a href="https://www.darpa.mil/program/air-combat-evolution" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air Combat Evolution</a> program has demonstrated its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-just-beat-a-human-pilot-in-a-simulated-dogfight-2020-8" target="_top">ability to beat human pilots</a> in simulated dogfights.Kendall said in early March that the Air Force <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/kendall-new-details-air-force-plans-200-ngad-1000-ccas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may acquire</a> at least 1,000 CCAs — two each for some 500 NGAD aircraft and F-35s — but has since said that was just a starting point meant to show the Air Force was serious about the program."We're starting out with the intent to have at least two per fighter working together, but it could be more than that," Kendall told reporters at the Air and Space Forces symposium on March 7. "It's going to be a question of what the technology will support and what works out best operationally."Kendall has said the cost of each CCA could be one-quarter to half the cost of an F-35. With F-35s running about <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/collaborative-combat-aircraft-ngad-timeline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$82.5 million</a>, CCAs could cost between $21 million and $41 million."We can sacrifice one of these aircraft, put it well out in front, use it to draw a fire, and force the other side to expose itself and then be subject to engagement," Kendall told lawmakers this month. "We call them attritable. They're not expendable, but we can afford to lose some of them operationally."<h2>Valkyrie, Avenger, and Ghost Bat</h2><div type="image" title="MQ-20 Avenger" height="933" width="1244" msid="99971592" hostid="261"></div>Air Force officials have indicated that because of the array of missions CCAs are expected to conduct, there likely won't be a single model.At least three UCAVs in development could be candidates for the Air Force's program: the <a href="https://www.kratosdefense.com/-/media/k/pdf/usd/xq-58a-valkyrie.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">XQ-58 Valkyrie</a> from Kratos Defense, the <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/remotely-piloted-aircraft/predator-c-avenger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MQ-20 Avenger</a> from General Atomics, and the <a href="https://www.boeing.com/defense/MQ-28/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MQ-28 Ghost Bat</a> from Boeing.The XQ-58A has a maximum launch weight of 6,000 pounds and can cruise at 550 mph. Its operational altitude is 45,000 feet and it has a range of 3,000 nautical miles. Since first flying in 2019, it has done multiple test flights for the Air Force, including <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38168/stealthy-xq-58-drone-busts-the-networking-logjam-between-f-22-and-f-35" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being used as a datalink</a> for F-22s and F-35s and <a href="https://ir.kratosdefense.com/news-releases/news-release-details/kratos-usaf-complete-successful-xq-58a-valkyrie-skyborg-flight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">work with the Skyborg</a> program.The Valkyrie's unique <a href="https://ir.kratosdefense.com/news-releases/news-release-details/kratos-xq-58a-valkyrie-continues-successful-flights-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rocket-assisted takeoff system</a> also gives it what Kratos and the Air Force call "runway independence." It uses parachutes and airbag cushions to land.The MQ-20 Avenger first flew in 2009 and an <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42906/this-is-a-great-comparison-between-general-atomics-avenger-drone-configurations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">upgraded version</a> with increased fuel capacity flew in 2016. It has a top speed of about 460 mph and a 20-hour flight endurance and can reach altitudes over 50,000 feet. It can carry 6,500 pounds of ordnance, including missiles and precision-guided bombs. The MQ-20 can also be fitted with sensors and cameras, making it suitable for intelligence-gathering and electronic warfare.<div type="image" title="MQ-28 Ghost Bat in Australia" height="1300" width="1733" msid="99971593" hostid="261"></div>The Avenger's angular shape and internal weapons bay give it stealth properties. Only a few have been built, but it has been <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/two-general-atomics-mq-20-avengers-coordinate-flight-with-skyborg-software/146189.article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heavily involved</a> in the Skyborg program.The MQ-28 was developed by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force and was originally known as the Airpower Teaming System, a nod to its intended role as a "loyal wingman" to manned aircraft.Boeing has been very secretive about the Ghost Bat, which first flew in 2021. The company has said the drone can fly more than 2,000 nautical miles and carry sensor packages for intelligence-gathering and early-warning missions.Australia has <a href="https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/key-enablers/10031-defence-clarifies-ghost-bat-procurement-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed contracts</a> for 10 MQ-28s, which are expected to enter service between 2024 and 2025. The US Air Force has <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/air-force-acquires-australias-mq-28-ghost-bat-drone-for-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired</a> at least one MQ-28 for testing.Kendall has said a formal competition for CCA acquisition could begin as soon as late 2023, and Air Force officials say the first CCAs could arrive in the late 2020s and enter service before the NGAD fighter."I think the CCA is not just desirable. It's essential" to meet the global challenges the Air Force faces, Kendall told lawmakers on March 28. "Without it, it's very difficult to envision how we could keep the Air Force at the size it currently is."

The US Air Force has big plans for the next-generation drones that will fight alongside its fighters and bombers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In March, the Air Force accepted the first <keyword id="10667167" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="F-15EX">F-15EX</keyword>, the first new fourth-generation fighter in 20 years.</li><li>The F-15EX is based on a proven design and will replace jets that are close to their breaking points.</li><li>But critics say that in the wars of the future, a jet like the F-15EX is just "an expensive target."</li></ul>In March, the Air Force accepted its newest fighter, the <a href="https://www.boeing.com/defense/f-15ex/" target="_top">F-15EX</a>, the first new fourth-generation fighter in over two decades.At a <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/07/its-official-air-forces-new-f-15ex-fighter-will-be-called-eagle-ii.html" target="_top">ceremony</a> to mark the occasion, Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Mike Loh said the fighter's arrival "is very timely," as the Air Force "must ensure that we have the most capable combat aircraft defending our shores during this time of great-power competition."The Air Force hopes to acquire 144 of the jets over the next decade and has an option to buy up to 200. Despite the fanfare, the decision to acquire the F-15EX has faced considerable criticism."It's an expensive way of getting shot down, and the Air Force is wholly ill-equipped to field this aircraft from multiple standpoints," Doug Birkey, the executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies, told Insider.The criticism stems from concerns that the F-15EX, a modernized version of a 45-year-old design, stands little to no chance of survival in the modern threat environment, that it will take resources from other designs and programs, and that it will actually cost more in the long run than more fifth-generation jets.<h2>Replacing aging fighters</h2><div type="image" title="Air Force F-15 fighter jet" height="1537" width="2500" msid="83062832" hostid="261"></div>At first glance, buying the F-15EX seems like a no-brainer. It is a modernization of a tried-and-true design that <a href="https://warisboring.com/has-anyone-ever-shot-down-an-f-15-in-air-combat/" target="_top">has never lost a battle in aerial combat</a>.Moreover, the aging F-15Cs and F-15Ds it will replace are close to their breaking points, with 75% of them flying "well beyond" their service life, <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/07/its-official-air-forces-new-f-15ex-fighter-will-be-called-eagle-ii.html" target="_top">according</a> to Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson, military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.Those fighters were supposed to be replaced by the F-22 Raptor, a <keyword id="9945121" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fifth-generation-fighter">fifth-generation fighter</keyword>, but F-22 production ceased in 2009 with less than half the original order built due to budget cuts.That production halt, and the slow rollout and ballooning cost of the F-35, also a fifth-generation fighter, have forced the Air Force to use F-15s past their expected service lives.Although the F-15EX's per-unit cost of $87.7 million is slightly more than the F-35's $77.9 million, the F-15EX's operating cost of $27,000 an hour is expected to be lower than that of the F-35, which Lockheed Martin <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/lockheed-martin-confident-f-35-operating-cost-will-be-reduced-to-25000-per-hour/142577.article" target="_top">says</a> is $36,000. (The F-35's per-hour cost has come down in recent years, and Lockheed <a href="https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2020/cost-per-flight-hour-reduced-by-25-percent-for-f-35-targeting-system.html" target="_top">says</a> it could be reduced to $25,000 by 2025.)The Air Force wants a mix of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, as not all fighter jets will have the same missions and thus do not need the same capabilities.The Defense Department also <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/03/22/pentagon-buying-f-15ex-alongside-f-35s-preserve-diversity-official-says.html" target="_top">wants</a> to maintain a "robust industrial base." Without the F-15, all of the Air Force's fighters would be built by Lockheed Martin.<h2>Questionable survivability and cost</h2><div type="image" title="Air Force F-15EX fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="83062833" hostid="261"></div>The F-15EX's lack of stealth capabilities is a significant tradeoff.Non-stealth aircraft are heavily reliant on accompanying support aircraft - doing things like electronic warfare, combat escort, and air-defense suppression - to carry out their missions. This dramatically increases the number of jets need to carry out airstrikes.In <a href="https://a2dd917a-65ab-41f1-ab11-5f1897e16299.usrfiles.com/ugd/a2dd91_a046ea712d0e4b7fb6f7afc4483df56f.pdf" target="_top">one operation</a> during Desert Storm, for instance, three targets at one airfield in Iraq required 41 US and Saudi fourth-generation aircraft to ensure a successful strike - only eight of those aircraft actually dropped bombs.Around the same time, 20 F-117s, the US's first stealth aircraft, operating on their own successfully attacked 38 sites at 28 separate target areas.More aircraft naturally mean higher costs, and many of those support aircraft are no longer in the Air Force's inventory, which means it has to rely on the Navy to provide them.Moreover, Russian and Chinese <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2020/Jul/28/2002466237/-1/-1/1/CHINESE_RUSSIAN_MISSILE_DEFENSE_FACT_SHEET.PDF" target="_top">surface-to-air missile systems</a> (SAMs) and <a href="https://www.iiss.org/publications/the-military-balance/the-military-balance-2018/mb2018-01-essays-1" target="_top">air-to-air missiles</a> (AAMs) have gotten considerably more sophisticated since the 1990s.China <a href="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CASI/Books/2020-11-%2030%20Air-to-Air%20Missiles%20and%20Guidance%20Systems.pdf?ver=C8qY98R8IETgcweqak0tqA%3D%3D" target="_top">has a number</a> of AAMs in service and in development that are just as capable as the US's AAMs, and some even have longer ranges. Iran <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/iran-tests-new-russian-made-s-300-missile-system/a-37808317" target="_top">has already bought</a> advanced anti-air weaponry from Russia and <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/russia-sell-advanced-anti-air-missiles-s-400-iran-despite-us-threats-ambassador-1536313" target="_top">may buy</a> more."It's not just fighting China and Russia. It's wherever their stuff happens to be," Birkey said, pointing to Syria as an example.Those factors all raise questions about F-15EX's survivability and cost benefits."The problem is, if they are not good enough to do the job, survive, and keep rolling, what did you buy?" Birkey said. "You bought an expensive target."<h2>A more threatening environment</h2><div type="image" title="Air Force F-15EX fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="83062835" hostid="261"></div>If the F-15EX were to go up against such weaponry and losses were to mount, replacing them would not be easy."We no longer live in the era where we can back all these kinds of losses," Birkey told Insider."We don't have the aircraft-production capabilities and capacity, and we certainly don't have the pilot-generation capabilities," Birkey said, adding that the service already has <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2020/10/the-air-force-pilot-retention-crisis-is-not-over/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a pilot shortage</a> "and none of our guys are dying due to combat loss."While the F-35EX's lack of stealth is a big problem, critics don't suggest only buying F-35s or F-22s.Rather, many say the Air Force should double-down on new designs and concepts, like the <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-air-force-just-dropped-this-concept-art-of-its-ngad-fighter/" target="_top">Next Generation Air Dominance program</a> or unmanned fighters like Kratos Defense's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-says-the-valkyrie-drone-launched-another-drone-2021-4" target="_top">XQ-58A Valkyrie</a> or Boeing's <a href="https://www.boeing.com/defense/airpower-teaming-system/" target="_top">Airpower Teaming System</a>.With budgets already tight, more money spent on the F-15EX may mean less for those programs.<div type="image" title="Air Force F-15EX fighter jet" height="1333" width="2000" msid="83062837" hostid="261"></div>US defense officials acknowledge that a great-power war would be far different from the conflicts the US has fought over the past 20 years.In April, during his first significant policy speech, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/next-major-war-will-be-very-different-us-defense-secretary-2021-04-30/?fbclid=IwAR3dC1lRpA5OQbFYuuFXDvJdropmHjIH9Tn02jDdb3P83_2sy6180ODXVPQ" target="_top">said</a> "the way we fight the next major war is going to look very different from the way we fought the last ones" and emphasized a need for "the right mix of technology, operational concepts and capabilities."Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, admitted in his first major strategic document that in a future war, the Air Force could face combat losses "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/future-war-losses-like-wwii-top-air-force-officer-says-2020-9" target="_top">more akin to the World War II era</a>" than to recent conflicts.Fifth-generation jets are designed with this in mind and are made to win conflicts with stakes beyond the battlefield, Birkey told Insider."You could fight in Iraq and Afghanistan for two decades, effectively lose in both, and nothing really changes in mainstream America," Birkey said."The wars that we're increasingly looking at, and for which the F-22 and F-35 are built, are wars where if we do not succeed, life fundamentally changes in a very bad way," he added. "We need to wake up to that and act accordingly."

The Air Force's newest fighter jet may not be what it needs to win the next war

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<ul><li>Stocks, oil, Treasury yields, and bitcoin dropped on Monday as investors worried about coronavirus choking growth despite the Federal Reserve's surprise interest-rate cut on Sunday.</li><li>The US central bank cut rates by a full percentage point to between 0% and 0.25%, marking its second cut in less than two weeks.</li><li>"The Federal Reserve has panicked. It didn't just fire its bazooka, it dropped an atom bomb of liquidity and monetary stimulus," one analyst said.</li><li>Chinese economic data revealed steep declines in industrial output, fixed-asset investment, and retail sales in January and February, underscoring the economic threat of coronavirus.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/international?r=US&amp;IR=T">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Stocks, oil, Treasury yields, and bitcoin all slumped on Monday after the Federal Reserve's surprise interest-rate cut on Sunday failed to allay investors' concerns about the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.The US central bank <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fed-interest-rate-cut-zero-bond-holdings-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">slashed the key funds rate</a> by a full percentage point to between 0% and 0.25%, the lowest level since 2015, after lowering it by 0.5 percentage points less than two weeks ago. It also announced plans to buy $700 billion worth of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities."The Federal Reserve has panicked," Neil Wilson, chief market analyst for Markets.com, said in a morning note."It didn't just fire its bazooka, it dropped an atom bomb of liquidity and monetary stimulus," he added.Central banks in China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and other countries followed the Fed in trimming rates, boosting market liquidity, and taking other measures to shore up their economies. However, investors remain skeptical that monetary policy can do much to temper the economic toll of coronavirus.The virus - which causes a disease called COVID-19 - has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-virus-everything-we-know-deadly-2019-ncov-wuhan-spread-2020-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">infected more than 169,000 people</a>, killed at least 6,500, and spread to upwards of 145 countries. It threatens to hammer global economic growth this year by disrupting supply chains, forcing businesses to cut back or close, and deterring consumers from spending.The latest developments include President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-will-declare-national-emergency-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">declaring a national state of emergency</a> on Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-guidelines-cancel-events-50-people-over-due-to-coronavirus-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">recommending the postponement of any planned gatherings of 50 people or more</a> in the next eight weeks, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/states-cities-shutting-down-bars-restaurants-concerts-curfew-2020-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Los Angeles and New York City shutting down</a> bars, clubs, and other entertainment venues to slow transmission of the virus.New Chinese government data provided a worrying preview of the economic impacts of coronavirus. In the first two months of this year, industrial output tumbled 13.5% to a record low, retail sales plunged 20.5%, and fixed-asset invement fell by 24.5%, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/318ae26c-6733-11ea-800d-da70cff6e4d3">according to the Financial Times</a>. Urban unemployment also hit a fresh high of 6.2% in February, the newspaper said."There's an understanding in markets that a recession is almost guaranteed," Jasper Lawler, head of research at London Capital Group, said in a morning note."Authorities throwing money at it helps but cannot stop it," he added.Other analysts painted an equally bleak picture."Markets must now accept: This is war," Michael Every, senior Asia-Pacific strategist at RaboResearch, said in a research note."Governments are going to have to support households, the self-employed AND businesses large and small through this all, or we face a domino-style economic collapse," he continued."The big policy guns have now all been rolled out and fired," Every added. "Short of open helicopter money entering while playing The Flight of the Valkyries over loudspeaker, there is little left to do already."Here's the market roundup as of 10:03 a.m. in London (6:03 a.m. in New York):<ul><li>European equities plunged, with Germany's DAX down 7.7%, Britain's FTSE 100 down 5.8%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 down 8.5%.</li><li>Asian indexes closed lower. China's Shanghai Composite fell 3.4%, South Korea's KOSPI slumped 3.2%, Japan's Nikkei dropped 2.5%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 4.7%.</li><li>US stocks are set to open lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&amp;P 500, and the Nasdaq were down between 4.5% and 4.8%.</li><li>Oil prices fell, with West Texas Intermediate down 5.1% at $30.50 a barrel and Brent crude down 7.9% at $31.20.</li><li>The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield slid to about 08%.</li><li>Gold rose 0.6% to $1,525.</li><li>Bitcoin dropped about 13% to below $4,600.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/10-up-and-coming-fintechs-2019?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=finance&amp;itm_campaign=10-up-and-coming-fintechs-2019-2"></a>

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