The future of emissions-free military aircraft is coming into view. By 2050, hundreds of electric-powered planes bearing U.S. armed forces insignia could be stationed at bases around the country.
The aviation milestone is a centerpiece of the Air Force’s climate action plan and is buoyed by recent flight tests of two battery-powered aircraft at bases in Florida and California.
climate action plan
The piloted tests were part of a $345 million Air Force research and development program called AFWERX Agility Prime, launched by the Air Force Research Laboratory in 2020. The service wants have multipurpose electric aircraft flying by 2025, a senior Air Force official said last week.
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They’re getting close.
