The runway at Misawa AB, Japan, reopened on Aug. 5 after nearly three weeks of construction. The $2.1 million repair project extended the life of the heavily used runway, ensuring safe conditions for the 35th Fighter Wing, Naval Air Facility Misawa, Combined Task Force-72, Japan Air Self Defense Force, and Misawa City Airport, according to an Aug. 15 release. “The more sorties we generate to support the pivot to the Pacific, the faster our runway will degrade,” said Kirk Schaumann, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron chief of construction management. The second phase of the runway repair is scheduled for next summer, but once complete the next major airfield repair is not estimated to take place until 2026, according to the release.
Unmanned aerial vehicles are fair game for U.S. Special Operations Command’s armed overwatch platform competition, Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. 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 during…