The US Air Force Academy Association of Graduates has selected retired Gen. Hansford T. Johnson (Class of 1959) and retired Gen. Michael E. Ryan (Class of 1965) for its 2006 Distinguished Graduate awards. Johnson, who was the first USAFA graduate to achieve four-star level, last served as commander of US Transportation Command and Military Airlift Command (now Air Mobility Command). Ryan was the second academy graduate to become the Air Force Chief of Staff—the first was his father Gen. John D. Ryan.
Images of a new, two-seat version of China's J-20 stealth fighter, circulated on the internet, raise questions about the jet's purpose. It could be meant as a trainer, a ground-attack variant, or as a platform for managing unmanned aircraft flying in coordination with other J-20s and Chinese combat airplanes. The…