The French Come Back for Seconds:
Some 21 members of the French Air Force have started a second deployment to support war on terror operations in Afghanistan. The new phase, dubbed Operation Serpentaire, picked up May 26 where the first left off and will continue until October. Officials say that the first group conducted about seven percent of coalition Operation Enduring Freedom air sorties.
General Atomics, the maker of one of the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has ambitious plans for its family of semi-autonomous drones beyond the FQ-42, including a flying-wing aircraft capable of carrying out both reconnaissance and strike missions. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a new program to…