A civil rescue helicopter crew called for help from the 55th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., when it couldn’t reach a stranded and injured teenage hiker. The airmen were preparing for a night training sortie when they got the call and responded within an hour to the rescue area, where an HH-60 Pave Hawk lowered a pararescue jumper. The PJ secured the teenage boy, who was at a medical center for treatment within three hours after the initial request for help, reports journalist SrA. Michael Hess.
Unmanned aerial vehicles are fair game for U.S. Special Operations Command’s armed overwatch platform competition, Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife told reporters on Feb. 26. However, the MQ-9 Reaper drone might not be up to the challenge in its current form, he suggested…