The blaze in New Jersey triggered by a flare from an Air National Guard F-16 on a training mission in May could cost the Air Force at least $200 million, reports The Press of Atlantic City. That is the total for 161 claims the service currently is processing from both property damage and dislocation expenses for those people forced from their homes. Some claims are still coming in. Just last month, the service received a single property damage claim for $197 million—significantly increasing the total cost. USAF has six months to investigate claim legitimacy.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
