A high-ranking former Iraqi air force official claims Saddam Hussein moved his weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The New York Sun reports that Georges Sada, one-time second in command of the Iraqi air force, told the newspaper that the weapons were loaded into civilian aircraft that had been stripped of their seats. And, Sada says the weapons are still in Syria. These claims also appear in his new book Saddam’s Secrets. Ah hah! Wait, the Sun says it has a corroborating statement from Moshe Yaalon, a former Israeli top general.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.