Air Force Secretary Michael Donley on Tuesday visited Whiteman AFB, Mo., to get a close-up look at the 509th Bomb Wing and B-2 stealth bomber operations. “It’s been a great visit,” he said. This was his first visit to Whiteman since assuming the service’s top leadership post in late 2008. “I’ve been looking forward to this for many years, wanting to see the B-2 at its home here at Whiteman,” Donley said. The B-2, he noted, “has continued to evolve over the years and remains a cutting-edge capability for our Air Force and the nation.” The Obama Administration intends to retain the B-2 fleet in a dual role, able to perform conventional or nuclear missions, under the new nuclear force posture released in May. (Whiteman report by A1C Montse Ramirez)
The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force has unveiled a new electronic warfare drone designed to fly with fighter jets into contested airspace, including alongside its fleet of F-35s. RAF says it plans to develop models that draw on the U.S. Air Force’s approach of mating unmanned systems with crewed platforms.