Maj. Bob Battema with the 522nd Fighter Squadron flew the unit’s last F-16 Viper flight at Cannon AFB, N.M., on Dec. 21, preceding the formal inactivation of the squadron, reports the Clovis News-Journal. Cannon formally became an Air Force Special Operations Command base in October, and the 522nd FS was the last Air Combat Command fighter unit at Cannon to furl its colors. The conversion to an AFSOC facility is in full swing.
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.
