Last month, there was a vigorous debate over a radical, and I believe ultimately misguided, proposal to disband the U.S. Air Force. The Army, however, seems to have its own solution: it's going to buy its own damned air force. Writing at Aviation Week's Ares blog, Bill Sweetman reports on Army plans to buy 540 armed drones:
* According to [General Atomics-ASI's Steve] May, the Army is looking at acquiring as many as 45 complete Sky Warrior systems once full-rate production starts in 2011 - each with 12 air vehicles, 540 UAVs in all. The Sky Warrior resembles the USAF MQ-1L Predator but is heavier and more powerful, routinely carrying eight Hellfire missiles.*
As Bill also notes, Air force reps at the conference were, well, unhappy. I can only imagine.
