Turning in the Old in Iowa: T
he Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing at Sioux City will be turning in some old iron over the next two years, according to the Sioux City Journal. The wing gets to trade its old E model KC-135 tankers for newer, re-engined KC-135R models. This will be an easy transition, notes the Journal, unlike in 2003 when the wing converted from F-16 fighters to KC-135 tankers.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.