USAF Ponders Modular X-Plane Test Plan

The shrinking capability for flight testing in the U.S.—the jewel in the crown that paved the way for the nation's leading role in global aerospace in the 20th century—is forcing NASA and Air Force planners into a major review aimed at halting the decline. The action comes as the agency and USAF gird themselves for potential budget cuts that could further threaten existing flight-test capacity. It also follows in the wake of controversial findings from a National Research Council (NRC) report into the state of NASA flight research, the recommendations from which were aired to a broad industry group for the first time at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Joint Propulsion Conference in Atlanta ...