Creech Air Force Base in Nevada is now home to USAF’s first unmanned aerial vehicle wing—the reactivated 432nd Wing. The new wing’s first commander, Col. Christopher Chambliss, called the event a “monumental day for the Air Force,” adding that it’s “equally critical to the Air Force’s most important customers, the American warfighters.” He noted that the standup was the result of about four years planning. The wing comprises six operational squadrons and one maintenance squadron and, so far, has six MQ-9 Reapers and 60 MQ-1 Predators.
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…