Folks who were looking skyward in the Charleston, S.C., area last week got treated to a phenomenal sight as the smoke from flares released by a C-17 flying over the Atlantic formed into a “smoke angel.” Air Force officials say the sight is created by the vortex from the airlifter’s engines. C-17s from Charleston AFB, S.C., were flying a local training exercise on May 16.
Defense experts say the drone threat represents only part of a larger, looming problem: U.S. air bases in the Pacific are increasingly vulnerable to air attacks.