Air Force Special Operations Command may well get its own Predator squadron as early as this fall. An AFSOC spokeswoman, Capt. Elizabeth Paul, said the new unit, comprising 24 of the unmanned aerial vehicle (or, for those already into the new nomenclature, UASes), may stand up soon at Creech AFB, Nev. Ultimately, USAF expects to have at least 15 Predator squadrons, many run by Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve Command personnel.
The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the service in recent years.