As many as 10,000 airmen could be using smart phones on the job in the next year if the Air Force gets the money to buy them, according to a contractor on the project, according to an Air Force Times article.

A maintainer, for example, could go to an off-the-shelf application on his mobile device to instantly access technical information he needs to test or fix an aircraft. Now, he has to hike to the hangar for hardbound manuals.

The MQ-8 Fire Scout is a future unmanned helicopter that is being developed to help the U.S. military undertake reconnaissance missions in combat zones around the world.

The MQ-8 Fire Scout is being developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. based in Los Angeles, California. The helicopter is known as a second generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or "UAV." The MQ-8 Fire Scout is being developed to replace the RQ-2 Pioneer, an older first generation UAV that had been in service with the U.S. military from 1986 until 2007. The MQ-8 Fire Scout had its first flight in 2002 and evaluations of the aircraft were continuing in 2011.

Pirates in Somalia said Wednesday they are ferrying ammunition and men to the 30 hijacked vessels still under their control, and they threatened to kill more captives after the violent end to a hostage standoff that left four Americans dead, according to a Navy Times story.

The U.S. military said that 15 pirates detained after the Americans were slain Tuesday could face trial in the United States.

The National Guard spends about $20 million to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's most popular driver. The Army pays $7.4 million to sponsor Ryan Newman. The Air Force doles out $1.6 million to sponsor AJ Allmendinger.

Some lawmakers believe those deals are excessive and unnecessary, according to an Air Force Times article.