The Air Force plans to spend $3.3 billion to buy six F-35s in Fiscal 2008, but that’s not the whole Joint Strike Fighter story. The so-called “spring supplemental” for 2007 includes money for two F-35s to replace F-16s lost to the war on terror. And, there’s another combat loss F-35 in the Fiscal 2008 supplemental.
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…

