December 1, 2007 addendum

At an advanced high-speed test in the New Mexico desert November 26, 2007 Boeing Phantom Works and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory began attempting to solve the problem of safely releasing ordnance from inside an airframe traveling at high supersonic speeds. The test is a small but potentially significant step in the Pentagon's development of a capability to strike anywhere in the world on short notice. Here's the challenge: ordnance released from an internal weapons bay at sufficiently high speeds will be forced back up into the bay by the airflow beneath the aircraft. The engineers are trying to develop a way to manipulate airflow actively to release munitions safely at higher supersonic speeds. The recent test, done on the ground, was successful, a good start.

2 F-15Cs collide near Florida coast

BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Two U.S. Air Force F-15C fighter jets collided in midair over the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, but the two fliers ejected and were rescued, media reported.

    The crash happened Wednesday afternoon about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida. Both pilots were alive, but Eglin Air Force Base spokeswoman Lois Walsh said she was unable to comment about their conditions.

    The planes were from the Air Force's 33rd Fighter Wing based at Eglin Air Force Base, near Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

    The cause of the collision was not immediately known, but the Air Force will investigate, said Col. Todd Harmer, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing.

    The Air Force grounded all of its F-15s -- nearly 700 -- after the catastrophic failure of an F-15C during a routine training flight in Missouri in November. The pilot safely ejected.

    Most were back in service by January, but others were grounded indefinitely after defects were found.