The remains of Air Force Col. Gregg Hartness of Dallas, who has been missing in action since Nov. 26, 1968, when his O-2A Skymaster was struck by enemy fire over Laos and crashed, were identified from remains recovered in January and February in Laos, the Pentagon announced. About nine hours after the crash, a SAR team picked up Hartness’ co-pilot, 1st Lt. Allen S. Shepherd III, who had bailed out, but he did not see Hartness bail out. The SAR team located the crash site, saw the burning aircraft, but could not contact Hartness or detect an electronic signal. Burial is scheduled for Sept. 14 in Arlington National Cemetery.
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and allies and adversaries.
