If Jumper is correct, then there are implications for USAF battlefield airmen, those specialized airmen who travel with the ground forces to coordinate the delivery of airpower. If US aircraft stay, they stay. An Air Force news release on Monday said USAF currently has some 250 tactical air control party airmen on the ground in Iraq.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.