Reinforcements in sight for C-17

In seven years of operation, America's still-young C-17 fleet has built an impressive dossier—delivering troops into combat, U.S. presidents to remote regions, humanitarian aid to the desperate, even a killer whale to Iceland—and it's about to get reinforcements.

"The C-17 does what it was designed to do," said Brig. Gen. Tom Owen, director of the U.S. Air Force C-17 System Program Office. "In fact, this airplane does more than we thought it would do, and it's setting new standards for other weapon systems."

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ScanEagle takes wing

When ScanEagle, a Boeing long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), made its first autonomous flight on June 19, the company's Unmanned Systems organization celebrated its second significant milestone in less than a month.

ScanEagle's flight followed closely on the heels of another major aerospace event: the Boeing X-45 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle's maiden flight at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on May 22.

According to Mike Heinz, Boeing vice president and general manager of Unmanned Systems, the two programs are strongly linked and demonstrate the range of UAVs the company plans to offer customers

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