Four small aircraft came under scrutiny of USAF F-16s patrolling the restricted air space around Air Force One during President Bush’s southern California visit on Monday. All were flown by private pilots, who later said they were unaware of flight notices about the trip, according to the Associated Press. The F-16s had to fire flares to catch the attention of two and radioed the other two. All four aircraft were directed to land at nearby fields. All in a day’s work for crews of the four-year-old Operation Noble Eagle.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.