The influx of heavy-weapons-load-carrying MQ-9 Reaper drones into the Air Force fleet mix has prompted the service to propose the retirement of 250 of its oldest fourth-generation fighter jets, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters this afternoon. The rapid plus-up of these multimission, unmanned aircraft -- which have been heavily used in Iraq and Afghanistan to gather intelligence and drop bombs on insurgents -- has created an excess number of dual-role fighter aircraft, primarily the F-16, Gates said during a...
