The service awarded contracts to four industry firms beginning in February 2026 to explore equipping KC-135 and KC-46 refueling aircraft with weapons capable of intercepting incoming threats.
The U.S. Air Force has publicly disclosed for the first time that its B-2A Spirit stealth bomber can carry and fire the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, a capability demonstrated during Exercise Valiant Shield 2026.
Both the FQ-42 and FQ-44 autonomous drone designs have been cleared for production, with a three-company team handling the AI autonomy layer, in a dual-award structure designed to manage risk in an emerging capability.
