It seems the two Senators from New Mexico who announced to the world that the Air Force had found a “candidate mission” for Cannon AFB, N.M., were getting their information from a draft of a letter sent for review to Gen. Michael Moseley by his staff. The Portales News-Tribune cleared up the confusion by uncovering the “real” letter, which was signed by the USAF Chief of Staff and addressed to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on defense. In it, the candidate line is gone, and, instead, Moseley says USAF will complete a “comprehensive reuse study” with “all appropriate speed.” Our apologies to Mr. William Anderson, who did not get the cart before the horse.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.