US airmen with the 506th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron at Kirkuk AB, Iraq, have succeeded in getting Erbil Airport operating regularly schedule commercial flights to and from Vienna, Austria—the first of any scheduled passenger flights since 2003. Air Force journalist TSgt. Russ Wood reports that the 506th airmen worked with coalition officials to develop new procedures for the commercial flights, building on those in place for chartered services.
Venture capital-backed aircraft startup Hermeus announced May 28 its Quarterhorse unmanned aircraft will conduct a series of flight tests with the Defense Innovation Unit over the next few years.