On a mission from Dover AFB, Del., to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, a combined active duty and Air Force Reserve crew flies a C-5M Super Galaxy on a direct, non-stop 15-hour, flight-with one aerial refueling-over the Arctic, marking the first time a USAF aircraft has flown this northern route. Use of the route by military aircraft was made possible by an agreement reached with Russia in 2009.
This year’s Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting buzzed with talk of countering the rapidly evolving drone threat facing the entire U.S. military, including the Air Force. Leaders and defense industry officials discussed the need for new approaches to procurement and employment of a new class of these…