Orlando, February 18, 2010—The “embedded partnership” strategy now being used by NATO’s International Security Assistance Force is clearly paying dividends, said Army Maj. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, head of Combined Joint Task Force 82, headquartered at Bagram Air Base, speaking at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium. Scaparrotti said the cooperation has allowed his Regional Command East, which encompasses roughly a quarter of Afghanistan, to get a handle on insurgent activity in some significant zones. He noted, too, that civilians from areas around the now-Taliban-free zones want the same security. They now offer their support in driving out the Taliban, which helps spread security much like an expanding inkblot. Continue
The Air Force has selected Collins Aerospace and Shield AI to develop the software Collaborative Combat Aircraft will use to fly missions alongside manned fighters, the service revealed Feb. 12—and drone-maker General Atomics was quick to announce it has already flown its YFQ-42A aircraft with Collins’ system.
