It’s official: the Afghan National Army Air Corps is now called the Afghan National Army Air Force. “This is another step forward in response to Afghanistan’s air power growth,” stated officials with the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, the USAF organization involved in training and mentoring the fledgling Afghan air arm, on Monday. They continued, “The ANAAF will play an increasing role in Afghanistan’s defense, and will require independent authority to ensure the best use of scarce national aviation resources.” Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued an order creating the air force. (Kabul report by Capt. Robert Leese)
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.