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.
More than 40 years after the original YF-117 operational prototype flew test runs from a Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility, an F-117 returned for a $1 million refurbishment to look its best when it assumes its place in history alongside other iconic aircraft on permanent exhibit at the National Air…