An MQ-1B Predator that crashed Jan. 17 in Southwest Asia suffered engine failure stemming from a crack in the crankshaft, according to a summary of an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact. The crankshaft crack caused a connecting rod to fail, wedging itself in the opposing cylinder. A recent report indicates, though, that an increasing number of unmanned aerial vehicle crashes can be attributed to operator error.
Air Force Conducts Test Launch of Minuteman III ICBM
May 21, 2025
The Air Force tested an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif,. at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time May. 21. The successful test saw the missile equipped with a single reentry vehicle travel more than 4,200 miles to strike a test site near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall…