The Air Force has put no funds in its 2008 defense budget proposal or the outyears for the nuclear air-launched Advanced Cruise Missile, leading analysts to believe its headed into retirement—very much sooner than anticipated. The stealthy ACM, which can be carried aboard the B-52 bomber, reached initial operational capability around 1991 and had been the subject of modifications to extend its service life to 2030. Robert Burns of the Associated Press got a confirmation from the Air Force that the service has decided to retire the missile but received no explanation on the service’s rationale. Could we speculate there are more urgent priorities as the Air Force tries to stay within its funding topline
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…
