We’re not certain if this action will end the debate over executive agency status for unmanned aerial vehicles, but, Reuters news service reports that the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian has directed the Air Force and Army to jointly work acquisition of Predator/Warrior UAVs, which are basically the same airframe and both built by General Atomics. The two services are supposed to develop a common program proposal by some time in August. The Air Force sparked the executive agent controversy anew earlier this year, and since then lawmakers have vowed to end UAV duplication of effort.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.