The 451st Air Expeditionary Wing was redesignated the 451st Air Expeditionary Group during a transition ceremony held at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, last week. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan, presided over the Jan. 13 ceremony, during which Col. Scott Campbell assumed command of the redesignated unit, according to a release. “Whether you are a part of the 451st as a wing or a group, never forget the proud heritage that rests on your left shoulder,” said Wilsbach. The Air Force activated the 451st AEG in 2002 as part of the Global War on Terror, but the group grew to a wing in 2009 because of its size and the requirements of the Air Force mission at Kandahar, said Mark Howell, the 451st AEW historian.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.