[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,73,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":-5,"_68":69,"_70":-5,"_71":56,"_72":56},"mediaId",6657023,"mediaKeyId","5096906-6ff62b233eb8ce1be9d2ef972cf56d87","parentId",5096906,"title","Edwards AFB and Tehachapi partners push STEM outreach, museum relocation and Young Eagles flights","audioSeconds",1503,"startMs",1453000,"endMs",2956000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5096906-6ff62b233eb8ce1be9d2ef972cf56d87&start=1453&end=2956","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5096906-6ff62b233eb8ce1be9d2ef972cf56d87/thumbnail_1453000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6657023/Edwards-AFB-and-Tehachapi-partners-push-STEM-outreach-museum-relocation-and-Young-Eagles-flights","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6657023-a2b884467a47aa54e1c775a1130fbd2b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770825216&Signature=ctYtgD3tnb5BgGQH5gJ9mveA0y79QlMIBFWFp13dWN3qIzsi-1~xwezIDT0IpguBJ-Mv1b9R~4PM~TgQRM343DAbvK2nAZOXmG6FIvdUpcjtytbj0Dy0kANb7zzQSVFZY90dd-qlkAGGR90UoUMiwf3skfG5egXVFrwpwTuDOpAfJfBRD5mjIxxg940~YRcDEakAIm7Z-XvGdCliaDaI8MfVK2tTbKyfa0wXCAcTfQDRK9PFL~ilj~5WHXJR49ut7bcj3AkghFeNFQJhmHSHsBJh8GmNSsv9IgYfdIKFt5ng2lbXmglVQ~UBAbWnYqXNpQJqzMKzcCgO4EKGArO1lA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-28T17:16:36Z","article","General Wickert described several ongoing and planned outreach efforts that connect Edwards Air Force Base with Tehachapi schools and community programs.

\"We have a DOD starbase. So, fifth graders, from the Tehachapi Schools come over and spend a week, in immersive week long experience, hands on science experience doing, up at DOD Starbase Edwards,\" he said.

Wickert and the hosts discussed a local \"build a plane\" program run by volunteers, which pairs hands-on aircraft construction with volunteer mentoring from retired NASA and Air Force personnel. He described the program as an effective way to inspire students and said his office and volunteers rent hangar space to support the effort.

The Edwards museum—run by the Flight Test Historical Foundation—was discussed as a fundraising and relocation effort to display artifacts outside the base gate near the West Gate/Rosemont area. Wickert recounted finding an X-15–era pressure suit marked \"Armstrong\" in archives and described the museum as a tool to connect local youth to aviation history.

Hosts announced a local Young Eagles flight rally for children ages 8 to 17 on Saturday, Aug. 2, and said advance registration is required through the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter site (eaachapters.org). The event offers free flights with volunteer pilots and is intended to expose young people to aviation careers.

Wickert emphasized the value of early, hands-on experiences in attracting students into STEM paths and said the base routinely welcomes school groups for demonstrations and tours.

\"A lot of our medical partnerships are actually, you know, here in Tehachapi. Adventist is actually exploring ways that we might be able to open an urgent care, you know, either right outside of, of Edwards or actually on Edwards,\" he said when discussing community partnerships tied to quality of life and recruiting.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Salute to Freedom with Brigadier General Douglas P. Wickert","oneSentenceSummary","The Edwards commander described local STEM programs, DOD Starbase visits for fifth-graders, a museum relocation outside the base gate and a Young Eagles flight rally planned for Aug. 2 as ways the base and community connect and recruit future engineers and technicians.","taxTitle","taxId",0,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":74,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":75,"_41":76,"_43":77,"_45":78,"_47":79,"_49":80,"_51":81,"_53":82,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":83,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":84,"_67":-5,"_68":69,"_70":-5,"_71":56,"_72":56},6657025,"Edwards AFB highlights test pipeline: B-21, AI pilots, \"loyal wingman\" prototypes and open innovation",83,643000,726000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5096906-6ff62b233eb8ce1be9d2ef972cf56d87&start=643&end=726","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5096906-6ff62b233eb8ce1be9d2ef972cf56d87/thumbnail_643000.jpg","/articles/6657025/Edwards-AFB-highlights-test-pipeline-B-21-AI-pilots-loyal-wingman-prototypes-and-open-innovation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6657025-73ea515ff2439d2522fc581842dd997d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770825216&Signature=d-8gzNKlqLozl9~4yWy46PtyL97tiQFUXF46zDX3w6A~yBO5ZDowauBe8VIZyKF39AzShhN0SxuumcDmMXNBimGbPl3no5rKvoJtSRgXLhPoQgbvj06vFFNGQiiLY2C7FxhObk0x7BFlUntyTr7LfCFbOZ1u8WX1~4qQK-2fFx~LHhJ6CM4Q-kJdtWLsPKwznr4SxOHFwX28XpD4zJc1d~JoYRnMVsLMF6ODwLqzXDIhi9gr5En0AJe4nCN3K5Znh-bYZYl7gAJ59pZIQsenifUGNb1ppK7MctAmu-wXRTf88HqYJVWMWJ8UVBPB0THeP5gcp~LJsg2gM8oQPPXmlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","General Wickert described Edwards Air Force Base as a testing ecosystem that combines legacy programs and rapid, experimental prototyping.

\"We're at a, I know we'll get into it historically high ops tempo at Edwards Air Force Base right now as pretty much the Air Force is modernizing every single weapon system. That means everything is going through test at the same time,\" he said.

Wickert said Edwards is testing AI agents on flight platforms such as the X-62 VISTA (a modified F-16), and that the base has built procedures to evaluate AI agents in real aircraft as a bridge between virtual training and live flight. He described autonomous, initial test flights planned for collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) prototypes later in the calendar year and named early demonstrators (YFQ-42 alpha and YFQ-44 alpha).

\"We are actually actively testing right now. We are evaluating AI agents ... we have a platform that has an outer loop for, you know, safety. And there's a safety pilot in it, but we can actually put an AI agent in there and have it fly basic dog fighting maneuvers,\" Wickert said.

He also noted Edwards' effort to open access for nontraditional defense vendors, pointing to Joby Aviation's presence on North Base and to a ribbon-cutting on Pi Day (March 14) for a new experimental test force designed to speed prototyping.

Range modernization and joint operations were discussed as well: Wickert said Edwards is working to integrate ranges and connect sea ranges off Point Mugu with the R-2508 special-use airspace complex to support tests that span larger geographic areas.

The commander framed the work as part of a broader strategy to retain technological advantage. He cited decades of aviation development at Edwards — from early jet experiments and the X-15 era to present-day stealth and autonomous testing — as the historical arc that supports current rapid innovation.

The interview underscored two testing priorities: (1) developing methods and procedures to evaluate AI and autonomy safely in flight and (2) building partnerships that let smaller or nontraditional firms access test infrastructure quickly.

","On Tehachipod, the Edwards commander described an experimental test ecosystem that pairs traditional programs (B-21) with rapid prototyping, AI agents, autonomous collaborative aircraft and partnerships with nontraditional vendors.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":-5,"_68":69,"_70":-5,"_71":56,"_72":56},6657027,"Edwards Air Force Base says $1.4 billion operations and large hiring drive boost Tehachapi-area economy",1196,132000,1328000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5096906-6ff62b233eb8ce1be9d2ef972cf56d87&start=132&end=1328","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5096906-6ff62b233eb8ce1be9d2ef972cf56d87/thumbnail_132000.jpg","/articles/6657027/Edwards-Air-Force-Base-says-14-billion-operations-and-large-hiring-drive-boost-Tehachapi-area-economy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6657027-b9926839984b4959f517c1e7dc7b1203/orig.mp4?Expires=1770825216&Signature=Z9pzW-kvEcBS1gVB8EdzKzMt-u0NIfEi1e1ugiSdpSfvT3InPv-ILgclTP986JHTBjbz~JbAE1Nf3frqNkuAw5ksRwlq0dxNBilOEeR96p~KNQy2O5RCGz1Qh8tGfPCPuCvoq4tRqYLq1s3cp7PK-mmafhQG0J3qDfnxfBOyPfvPQYmFaiXkwvhr4ckHPHaRPn4CXKBKLI-6y02z9ZvUWTpSXICpZwpBSMJjC30tQ7nd1ILcDjwMyvjGwgKwCu7D4~LTt4cZy5b794LG4zX6pups1G4x6~mlTSeuqOSS1fKzxx6ieUZJONnAF2UJDA4p~TmeKbASc-K2miyV8cxlzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","General Wickert, commander of Edwards Air Force Base, told Tehachipod that Edwards runs like an 8,000-person company with roughly $1.4 billion in operating authority and about $1 billion in payroll, money he said flows into the local economy.

\"If we were a corporation, we'd be an 8,000 person company with a $1,400,000,000 of operating, of revenue. About a billion dollars of that is payroll, and that comes right back into the local community,\" General Wickert said.

The base’s daily population and payroll create secondary economic effects, the general said, and the base expects significant new hires tied to an increased testing workload. He told podcast hosts Maya Acosta, Greg Garrett and Corey Costello that Edwards was asked to add about 2,000 employees by 2028 to support programs already committed; the base hired about 1,000 people in the first year of that effort.

The general said the base is operating at an unusually high operations tempo because the Air Force is modernizing multiple weapons systems simultaneously, which drives both hiring and community needs.

\"We were told, sir, we need to hire 2,000 more people by 2028 just to support the test programs that we've already signed up for,\" he said. \"In the first year, we hired a thousand.\" He also warned that a federal hiring freeze affecting new hires across government exists, although Edwards has secured exemptions for some positions.

Officials identified quality-of-life services as central to meeting hiring goals. Wickert said health care, housing availability and childcare affect mission readiness: limited child-development center hours due to staffing shortages have already forced reduced services.

Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley was mentioned as a potential partner exploring urgent-care options on or adjacent to the base; Wickert said such partnerships are being pursued to improve access to medical care for military families and civilian employees living in nearby towns.

The general framed quality-of-life investments as mission readiness rather than optional amenities: \"My only regret with that quality of life priority is actually referring it to it as quality of life because it seems like that's kind of a nice to have, not a need to have. It's actually really a mission readiness.\" He said improved local services help keep airmen focused on high-risk testing duties.

The base encourages people interested in future positions to monitor hiring announcements; Wickert said the base will continue to seek applicants as it gains authority to fill positions and receives exemptions from any hiring restrictions.

The interview made clear the base’s payroll, hiring needs and service gaps have immediate local economic and social impacts, and Edwards is engaging local partners to address housing, healthcare and childcare shortfalls that could slow recruiting and retention.

","In a Tehachapi podcast interview, the commander of Edwards Air Force Base described the base as an 8,000-person operation with about $1.4 billion in operating authority, roughly $1 billion in payroll, and an urgent hiring need tied to an increased test tempo.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Edwards AFB and Tehachapi partners push STEM outreach, museum relocation and Young Eagles flights

Edwards AFB highlights test pipeline: B-21, AI pilots, "loyal wingman" prototypes and open innovation

Edwards Air Force Base says $1.4 billion operations and large hiring drive boost Tehachapi-area economy