A spokesman for the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, says that a drone struck the ground hot, sparking a brush fire that started on the Utah Test and Training Range, spreading to Dugway Proving Ground and Bureau of Land Management property, ultimately consuming about 32,000 acres in Tooele County in Utah, reports the Deseret News. Officials attributed its spread to the dry, windy conditions. Residents in about 25 homes had to evacuate. The Air Force already is paying a lot for a New Jersey fire sparked by a flare from a New Jersey Air National Guard F-16 fighter.
Earlier this spring, the 388th Fighter Wing proved just 12 Airmen can operate an F-35 contingency location, refueling and rearming the fighters at spots across Georgia and South Carolina. The demonstration, part of exercise Agile Flag 23-1, marks yet another proof of concept for the Air Force’s plan to send…