Buchanan said he is working with other services to find a solution, one that will deconflict aircraft by altitude, space, and time, and allow large aircraft to identify smaller craft at radar range. There are flight rules in this kind of airspace, he pointed out, and not everyone now flying UAVs in the theater is a rated pilot who understands that. Buchanan said the Air Force wants to educate other UAV fliers about the grid system. The basic message: If a smaller UAV is going into a restricted space, its pilot had better be talking to someone who is keeping track of all aircraft locations. (Read here about the Keyhole Concept used in air operations over Fallujah.)
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…