Russian Air Force Commander Vladimir Mikhailov told RIA Novosti news service that the Russian Air Force would receive by 2010 a regiment’s worth of new Su-34 fighter-bombers to replace its older Su-24 front line bomber. It has “about 10” so far, he said. In January, Mikhailov was hailing the prospective arrival of a new tactical fighter and saying replacements for older MiGs was in order.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.