PACAF’s General Hester, speaking at last week’s AFA symposium, emphasized the importance of US relationship with the Asian city-state of Singapore. Singapore has recently signaled interest in buying Global Hawk unmanned aircraft—a real possibility, in Hester’s opinion. Singapore has even poured funds into research and development of advanced sensors for the aircraft. Hester hopes that, some time after next year, he will be able to test Global Hawk in the Pacific and demonstrate its capabilities to Singapore’s armed forces. PACAF recently opened its new George C. Kenney Warfighting Headquarters at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and Hester envisions an interdependent, international facility for Washington’s friends in the Pacific. Hester has invited Singapore, Australia, Thailand, South Korea and Japan to send to the Kenney facility their own permanent military representatives.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…