The remotely piloted MQ-1 Predator aircraft officially will retire this summer.
The Air Force has found something younger ― and a bit larger ― with more horsepower and better sensors, that can fly higher and faster, and carry more ordnance: the MQ-9 Reaper.
The phase-out of the MQ-1 already has started, so it’s an appropriate time to say thank you to the Predator for 20-plus years of selfless service.
The Predator was the original unmanned recon and intel drone, and has helped keep troops safe the past two decades. It wasn’t designed to carry weapons, but it did, and it has quite an impressive hit list.
“The Predator has been a workhorse in Iraq, Afghanistan and the fight against ISIS.” said Lt. Col. Douglas, 361st Expeditionary Attack Squadron commander, in an Air Force press release. “When you see the results everyday on the battlefield, it’s unfathomable at times.”
Though the Air Force will save money using the MQ-9 full-time, we can’t say goodbye without saying thanks to the Predator for paving the way.
“It’s a very humble aircraft, but we’ve brought a lot to the fight with its modest capabilities,” Douglas said. “The aircraft’s mission is tremendous and it has opened the doors to the future.”
The crew of the Research Vessel Petrel, led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is on a roll.
The Defense Department on March 8 announced that troops deployed to Niger, Mali and northern Cameroon qualify to receive imminent danger pay/hostile fire pay, retroactive to June 7, 2017.
The other services should pay attention.
The daggers flew this weekend when a disparaging military rant by a California high school teacher went viral.
A technical sergeant from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada came under fire recently after she shared a racially-charged, expletive-laced rant to Facebook.
"We are way off the initial plan," subcommittee chairman Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said in Thursday's hearing.
Guard members wait more than seven months on average for advancement.
Hundreds more fighters have emerged from the Mariupol stronghold where they made their last stand and surrendered.
A small, yet nimble and heavily used light-attack helicopter that carries small teams of special operators into battle has a problem.
President Joe Biden has invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and has authorized flights to import supply from overseas.
The decision isn't yet final, but may come as soon as Friday.
From food to child care to housing, inflation is hitting junior service members especially hard.
Meet two soldier moms who discuss the sweeping changes benefiting new parents and others on this episode of The Spouse Angle podcast.
The remains of an American airman missing in World War II may be heading home, thanks to a chance discovery of records in flood-threatened archives in Thailand.
The Department of Justice has given the green light to National Guard members on active state duty across the country to join labor unions.
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