The 412th Test Wing’s Experimentation Center for Ideas/Technology Exploration team, known as XCITE, hosted a one-day innovation challenge July 10, 2017. Several engineers from around Edwards Air Force Base partnered with members of the Desert High School Robotics team to come up with a solution to a real-world test problem. The one-day competition consisted of…
416th FLTS Upgrading F-16 Radar
The 416th Flight Test Squadron continually conducts developmental testing to enhance the warfighting capabilities of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. One focus of the F-16 testers here is the integration and testing of a new radar as part of the F-16 Radar Modernization Program. According to its manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, the APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar…
AF Uses First Drone for C-17 Post Flight Inspection
The 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force used a quadcopter to conduct a maintenance inspection of the exterior of a C-17 Globemaster III here March 6, 2017. The C-17 was on loan from Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington. It was the first time the CTF flew a small unmanned aerial system on the flightline…
B-52 Undergoes HERO Testing at Edwards AFB
A B-52 Stratofortress from the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, is undergoing Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility (BAF) here. The test was requested by the B-52 Program Office at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, to comply with a recent mandate from the Air Force Safety Office…
Multiple F-35s Take To The Skies To Test Communication Data Links
All three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter were used by the 461st Flight Test Squadron in recent multi-ship testing, which employs four or six jets to ensure communication systems between the planes are working properly and accurately. The F-35 contains state-of-the-art tactical data links that provide the secure sharing of data among…
Edwards AFB Squadron Tests Missile For European Ally’s F-35
From Norway to Australia, members from a number of allied and partner nations have come to Edwards Air Force Base to team with base units to test systems, enhance international cooperation and advance their own air force’s capabilities. At the 416th Flight Test Squadron, a team of U.S. Air Force engineers and pilots are working…
New Test Force Focuses On Autonomy
The 412th Test Wing has a new organization that will explore the Air Force warfighting capabilities of tomorrow. The Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force was officially activated in early July and its mission is to provide agile, innovative flight test capabilities for emerging technologies. “We’ve had various commercial and innovation projects coming in and we…
KC-46 Refuels Fighter Jet With Hose, Drogue System For First Time
An Air Force and Boeing aircrew aboard a KC-46A Pegasus successfully refueled an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet in flight Feb. 10, marking the program’s first using the tanker’s hose and drogue system. The flight, which took place in the skies over Washington state, lasted more than four hours and the tanker’s air refueling operator transferred…