Predator Crashes in Turkey

By Jennifer Hlad
An MQ-1 Predator crashed in southern Turkey early Wednesday morning, the Air Force said. The remotely piloted aircraft impacted in an unpopulated area around 1:40 a.m. local time on Feb. 3, according to the press release. Turkish state-run media said...

Engine Failure Caused Predator Crash

By Jennifer Hlad
The MQ-1B Predator that crashed May 27, 2015, in the Central Command area of responsibility experienced engine failure because of a loss of engine coolant, although interference during the engine overheat checklist contributed to the failure, an investigation found. The...

Back So Soon at Souda

By Arie Church
F-16s from Spangdahlem AB, Germany, are forward deployed to Souda Bay, Greece, for a joint readiness exercise with the Hellenic Air Force, officials announced. The three-week flying exercise with HAF F-16s is focused on air-to-air combat, suppression of enemy air...

GPS III Satellite Design Validated

Lockheed Martin completed system-level thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing for the Global Positioning System III, validating the design of the assembled satellite, according to a Feb. 3 company release. During TVAC the satellite undergoes rigorous testing in a depressurized chamber to...

Bonus Ball Jackpot

A total of 117 Air Force specialties are eligible for bonuses this year, up from 40 in 2015, according to a press release. The expansion of the program lines up with service’s plan to grow the force and fill gaps...

SABR-Toothed Viper

By Arie Church
Northrop Grumman began flight testing of its new APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) on the latest F-16V Viper variant this week at Edwards AFB, Calif., the company announced. “The beginning of flight testing is a major milestone for SABR...

Changes to Enlisted Evaluation, Promotion Systems

The Air Force is making changes to its enlisted evaluation and promotion systems as they enter year two, according to a release. Now, instead of 10 enlisted performance reports available for review by senior noncommissioned officer evaluation boards, only five...

Hurlburt’s Heavy Heritage

By Arie Church
Air Force Special Operations Command dedicated an AC-130H Spectre gunship and MC-130P Combat Shadow special operations aircraft for display in the airpark at Hurlburt Field, Fla., on Tuesday. “To this day, there is no sound that strikes more fear into...