Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts actively is lining up a new mission, once its F-15s depart for good. (This is the base that everyone—including BRAC commissioners—thought was to close under BRAC 2005.) (DR, 09/15/05) Leading the list of potential missions is intelligence, per Brig. Gen. Michael Akey, head of the Massachusetts ANG. Akey tells the Boston Globe that ANG members at Otis could easily handle the job of processing intelligence data from unmanned aerial vehicles. He also thinks ANG personnel could take over operation of the PAVE PAWS radar facility at Cape Cod AFS, Mass., currently run primarily by active duty airmen and contractors.
To Replace Lost MQ-9s, USAF Eyes Next-Gen Reaper
May 13, 2026
The Air Force is looking at ways to rapidly replace some of the roughly two dozen MQ-9A Reaper drones it has lost as part of operations against Iran, top service officials told lawmakers May 12.