The Air Force’s 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan, rescued a Marine pilot Thursday after he safely ejected from the AV-8B he was flying in off the coast of Okinawa. The Harrier, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Okinawa, appears to have crashed 100 nautical miles off the coast of the Japanese island at 2? p.m. local time, the III Marine Expeditionary Force announced on Facebook. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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…