The Air Force has gone since Feb. 17, 2011, without an on-duty ground fatality, said service safety officials on Monday. This span of more than one year is the longest ground-fatality-free stretch in the service’s history, they said. “This wonderful feat is due to the unrelenting commitment by commanders, supervisors, safety professionals, and airmen at all levels to accomplishing the mission safety and effectively,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Feest, Air Force chief of safety. He added, “It’s truly a team effort.” Bill Parson, Air Force chief of ground safety, applauded the commitment to safety, which he said allows “airmen [to] work more confidently and efficiently.” On-duty ground safety accidents can include industrial, occupational, recreational, and traffic-related incidents, according to the Air Force Safety Center. (Kirtland report by Masao Doi)
The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force has unveiled a new electronic warfare drone designed to fly with fighter jets into contested airspace, including alongside its fleet of F-35s. RAF says it plans to develop models that draw on the U.S. Air Force’s approach of mating unmanned systems with crewed platforms.