Those new Pacific Air Forces C-17s at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, evacuated residents off tiny Wake Island—located 2,300 miles west of Honolulu—in anticipation of Super Typhoon Ioke, which is expected to hit Wake today with 155 mph winds. All 188 residents left the island, arriving at Hickam and from there dispersing to area hotels. It was the first time Wake residents have evacuated the nine-foot-long island due to a storm, since its 20-30 buildings can withstand 130 mph gales, reports the Honolulu Advertiser.
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…