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.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.