The Air Force’s military deputy for acquisition, Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman, told a Washington industry symposium Tuesday that the Air Force is working to streamline operations for its unmanned aerial vehicles. Currently the Air Force has one UAV pilot console at Creech AFB, Nev., from which the pilot can handle four Predators at once. Hoffman said that for many missions, sensor operators rather than a pilot can handle simple tasks such as monitoring a site once a vehicle is on station. However, he added, if the mission calls for an airstrike, the pilot can take over easily. Hoffman explained that the capability for a single pilot to fly several UAVs is very important and now more possible as the Air Force expands facilities at Creech—the center for most Air Force UAV training and operations.
The U.S. continued to move a significant amount of airpower toward the Middle East in recent days as talks to forge a nuclear deal with Iran hung in the balance. Flight tracking data indicate there was unusually heavy movement of dozens of fighter jets and other assets that might be…
