An accident investigation board has found that pilot error led to the crash Aug. 3, 2006, of a Predator MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle during a training sortie out of Creech AFB, Nev. The civilian contractor piloting the UAV “inadvertently depressed an incorrect switch,” states an Air Combat Command release. There were no injuries or property damage—other than loss of a $1.5 million aircraft.
As the list of countries developing both kinetic and non-kinetic space weapons grows, more nations are investing in “bodyguard” capabilities designed to protect and respond to threats against sovereign space assets, according to a new report.
