Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Art Cader received a Distinguished Flying Cross during a ceremony at Travis AFB, Calif., May 7. Cader earned the award for his participation in a Sept. 30, 1944, B-24 bombing mission to strike Japanese refineries on the island of Borneo. Cader diverted his B-24 to protect other airmen bailing out of a bomber hit by Japanese fighters, and, despite damage to his aircraft’s engine, he brought his B-24 safely back to base.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.