Expect official word today that the 18th Fighter Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska, will be converted into the 18th Aggressor Squadron in October 2007. Plans call for the Air Force to make a formal announcement, according to a message sent out by Lt. Gen. Douglas M. Fraser, commander of 11th Air Force. Officials had hinted earlier this year that Pacific Air Forces would get its own aggressor force as part of Red Flag-Alaska, the newly renamed Cope Thunder. The 18th FS will give up its Block 40 F-16s and revert to Block 30 F-16s in its new role. Officials expect the unit to support its first Red Flag-Alaska in spring 2008.
There is a new entrant in the highly competitive field of collaborative combat aircraft—semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside manned combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman unveiled its new Project Talon aircraft to a small group of reporters at the facilities of its subsidiary Scaled Composites.
