According to ACC chief Keys, the Air Force could not have too many Predator unmanned aerial vehicles. “If you had 1,000 of them, I don’t think you’d have enough,” said Keys. One thing that makes the Predator increasingly important is that it evolved from a purely intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance platform to an ISR plus strike capability, with the addition of Hellfire missiles. Keys believes that pairing UAVs with Guard and Reserve airmen is a perfect match, because so much of the UAV operation could be handled at their home stations.
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
