A tornado emanating from the storm front surrounding Hurricane Gustav slammed into parts of Eglin AFB, Fla., Sept. 1, damaging homes and the base’s child development center. The funnel cloud touched down at about 9:45 a.m. local time on a base runway and then skirted through base housing, causing damage along the way. It continued south through base housing, uprooting trees in its path, before exiting over Choctawhatchee Bay. Thankfully, the CDC was closed due to the Labor Day holiday so no children were there. (Eglin report by Lois Walsh)
General Atomics, the maker of one of the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has ambitious plans for its family of semi-autonomous drones beyond the FQ-42, including a flying-wing aircraft capable of carrying out both reconnaissance and strike missions. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a new program to…