The (N.C.) Courier-Tribune reports on the work Air National Guard Maj. Steven Francis, a forward air controller with the North Carolina ANG’s 118th Air Support Operations Squadron, performed while serving in Iraq. Francis describes his sojourns into the field, where he encountered rocket-propelled grenades and “bullets whizzing” around his head. His job, of course, was to direct aircraft to provide close air support for troops on the ground. Read the article here.
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.