?Lt. Gen. Charles Brown took charge of Air Forces Central Command from Lt. Gen. John Hesterman on Monday during a ceremony at Shaw AFB, S.C. US Central Command boss Army Gen. Lloyd Austin presided over the change-of-command ceremony, reported local TV news station WACH Fox 57 in Columbia. Brown is now responsible for overseeing US air operations in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, which encompasses Southwest Asia and Egypt. This includes the anti-ISIS air campaign in Iraq and Syria as well as support of the train-advise-assist mission in Afghanistan. He comes to AFCENT at al Udeid AB, Qatar, from Ramstein AB, Germany, where he served as US Air Force in Europe’s director of operations, strategic deterrence, and nuclear integration since March 2014. Hesterman, who led AFCENT since July 2013, is moving on to become the Air Force’s assistant vice chief of staff.
The Air Force is upgrading some 70 MQ-9 Reapers to a new configuration that will keep the type capable and relevant to the near-peer fight for another 15 years. It awarded General Atomics a $272.3 million contract to enhance the Reaper's weapons, electric power. connectivity and resistance to jamming, among…