ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl finally got his long-sought flight in a high-flying U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. He made the flight—one of the very few civilians to do so—last week, after completing two days of indoctrination and preparation. The Air Force has been making upgrades to the U-2 fleet, but it does plan to retire them around 2011.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.