Turkey is calling for the US and the anti-ISIS coalition to reconsider a no-fly zone in Syria, citing constant bombardment of civilians by Syrian aircraft. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a speech Monday during a UN conference in Istanbul, said the US needs to reconsider the proposal it has long called for, The Associated Press reported. Erdogan also criticized the US alliance with Kurdish fighters—a group Turkey views as an insurgency on its borders but one Washington has relied on as a dependable force combatting ISIS. NATO officials, including Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, condemned Russian and Syrian bombing that “is just adding to the human suffering in Syria,” according to the AP. American officials have opposed a no-fly zone in Syria, which Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said is difficult, but doable.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.