Also: ERAU Uses UAVs, P550 Group 2 UAS, Starship’s Florida Launches, NASA Missions Chopped The Air Force has put out a call to commission a one-to-one copy of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136. This is a low-cost attack drone that Russia has been using heavily against Ukraine… and that the US wants to know just how to take down. The request for information specifies that the drone must match the Shahed’s form, fit, and function, though the government isn’t providing any technical specifics. The X37B Orbital Test Vehicle launched this past week, August 21, on its eighth mission, lifting off at 11:50 p.m. ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The vehicle is now reported as ‘healthy’ on orbit and proceeding with standard checkout. Less than six months after completing its seventh mission with a landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., on March 7, 2025, the spaceplane is back in space. The US Army is making an “aggressive attempt” to get up to speed in drone operations by launching its Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course. Soldiers will spend several weeks out at Fort Rucker to build flying skills and practice drone strike scenarios. The program spans over a month, beginning with three weeks of classroom instruction. Soldiers get 20 to 25 hours on commercial simulators like Liftoff, VelociDrone, and Drone Racing League, essentially creating a “video game” type experience that soothes the transition to real-world flying. All this — and MORE in today’s episode of Airborne-NextGen!!!
