Gen. Ronald Keys, ACC commander, thinks the $50 billion requested by the Air Force for the Fiscal 2008 emergency supplemental would be used for force recapitalization—primarily to offset loss and wear from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. He told defense reporters in Washington Thursday that the Air Force has “lost a lot of airplanes” and needs to replace them, but there’s no money. Keys said ACC by itself expends about $2.6 billion a year in supplemental funding for the war on terror. When asked about USAF’s revised supplemental for Fiscal 2007, Keys maintained that discussions are ongoing and would provide no details.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…