Pacific Air Forces leaders have been touting the coming of a UAV force for the Pacific region. But, first here comes the pint-size brigade—a 30-pound weather UAV. Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation technicians have flown the first “Weatherscout” test mission from Andersen AFB, Guam, kicking off a six-week testing period that runs through November. If the WUAV passes testing, its will become PACAF’s equivalent of the Hurricane Hunters’ WC-130J. Its mission: to track tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean. It can fly for about 30 hours, traveling about 1,800 miles, as it tracks weather systems to help forecast typhoons and cyclones for the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…