A civilian pilot was injured when an A-4 Skyhawk crashed on Thursday morning while flying red air operations at Nellis AFB, Nev. The Skyhawk went down on public land near Nellis around 7:40 a.m. after an in-flight emergency, Air Combat Command announced. The pilot, who received medical treatment for minor injuries, was supporting 57th Wing operations at the time of the crash. Draken International flies A-4 Skyhawks, along with L-159 aircraft, to augment the Air Force’s F-16 aggressor fleet at Nellis. The aircraft have advanced radar, counter measures, and other equipment to replicate fourth generation jets in training exercises. Draken said last month that its A-4s flew as red air threats for F-35 training at Nellis.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…