The Air Force says its MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle fleet has amassed more than 250,000 flying hours. A Predator flying from UAV-central at Creech AFB, Nev. blew past the quarter-mil mark on June 22. The much-in-demand UAV began its operational career flying reconnaissance missions over the Balkans in the mid-1990s and graduated to a weapons-carrier for use in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Air Force says Predators are airborne in Southwest Asia 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire June 2 in an intense back-and-forth, marking the fifth exchange in just over a week between the two nations.