BBC: Up close and personal with the biggest drone squadron ever
Before taking office, Donald Trump called the war in Afghanistan a "total disaster". But last August he changed his mind and announced that the US would stay until the war was - in his words - "won". Military commanders see air power as key to the hoped-for victory, and have assembled in the country what they say is the biggest drone squadron ever.
I'm lying in the belly of a KC-135 "stratotanker", peering down at the snowy IS-infested mountains of north-eastern Afghanistan.
Suddenly the first wasp-like F16 fighter jet comes into view. It delicately positions itself under the boom that hangs down from the back of this flying fuel tank and - moments later - has locked on. The "Viper" is now taking on hundreds of pounds of aviation fuel a second.
We are so close I can see the pilot glance up at me, yet - unbelievably - this intricate ballet is playing out at 20,000ft and at 500mph.
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WNU Editor: More confirmation that the war in Afghanistan is going to heat up.
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