Air Combat Command has begun using high-flying U-2 high-flying reconnaissance aircraft from Beale AFB, Calif., to collect high-resolution imagery of the Hurricane Katrina damage. The U-2 imagery will be used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among other organizations, to help shape the US response to the flood damage. For a listing of Air Force support to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, click here.
A yearslong effort to find an affordable way to turn cargo planes into strike platforms is now an official program with anticipated fielding in 2027.