Space Wants New Helos: The acting commander of Air Force Space Command, Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, in Washington June 14 for a speech, told reporters that AFSPC believes it needs 20 or more new helicopters to replace the 1970s vintage UH-1 Hueys it uses primarily to patrol its far-flung ICBM fields. He said the command’s analysis is on its to the Air Staff for review. The service is already working to replace Air Force Special Operations Command’s combat search and rescue helicopters. A major topic of his remarks concerned the future of the command’s ICBM force.
Since U.S. forces withdrew from Somalia earlier this year, they have been “commuting to work” via aircraft to help train Somali troops, but without a ground presence there is limited intelligence understanding, the head of U.S. Africa Command told lawmakers. In December 2020, former President Donald J. Trump ordered U.S.…