Who’s the Fastest of Them All?
The US Air Force has more than 5,000 planes in service (some can fly at speeds up to 1,875 miles per hour). Which is the fastest?
Rosetta Mission Comes to An End
Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, is dead, setting down Friday on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Radio signals from Rosetta flatlined at 7:19 am after it did a soft belly-flop.
MD Fracking Rules Proposed
Maryland’s fracking ban expires in October 2017, legislative opponents will try to prohibit the practice altogether before the ban expires, but the Maryland Department of the Environment has rolled out fracking regs which would ban drilling in three watersheds in Western Maryland and require extensive safeguards around drilling sites.
Triton to Enter Initial Production
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the Internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff. MQ-4C Triton moves out of development into initial production, reports USNI.org. The decision follows Triton’s successful operational assessment in February. The F-35 joint program office is eyeing the middle of the next decade for major upgrades to the engines on the joint strike fighter. Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, who heads the JPO, said the “mid-2020s” is when the power plant on the joint strike fighter could…
Carver Is VX-23’s New CO
Navy Cmdr. James Carver relieves Marine Lt. Col. Kevin Erker as commanding officer of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 after serving as the squadron’s chief test pilot since October 2014. Cmdr. Johannes Jolly assumed duties as VX-23’s chief test pilot.
Clinton, Trump Prep for 1st Debate
The highly anticipated presidential debate is set for tonight, Sept. 26. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are reportedly preparing for this showdown in ways that appear to be as different as their candidacies.
JSF Helmet/Ejection Fix Nears for Small Pilots
F-35 joint program office says modifications to the helmet and ejection seat will fix the increased risks to lightweight pilots ejected from the plane.
Military Wants to Keep Eye on Small UAS
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — DARPA — wants the capability to track and identify low-flying drones, as it can with planes and other unmanned aerial systems. Systems are being developed to track UAS flying below 1,000 feet. That would be the military equivalent of the air traffic control system.