Two T-6 Texan II training aircraft collided Nov. 28 around 1 p.m. over the Columbus AFB, Miss., auxiliary airfield in Shuqualak. The four airmen ejected safely; the aircraft crashed. And, in Iraq, the Air Force has lost another MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. It crashed in an unpopulated area on Nov. 29 at about 11 a.m. local time. The Air Force says accident investigations have begun on each incident.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
