An MQ-1B Predator remotely piloted aircraft crashed during an Operation Inherent Resolve sortie supporting operations over central Iraq last week, Air Force Central Command officials announced. Controllers lost contact with the RPA during mid-flight at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time on Jan. 7, and were unable to re-establish control of the Predator. The incident was due to technical failure rather than enemy fire, according to officials. The MQ-1 was completely destroyed on impact and posed no risk of falling into enemy hands. No injury to civilian or military personnel were reported, and the incident caused no significant damage to property, according to the release. The first MQ-1 lost in combat supporting OIR crashed in Syria last March. Counting a crash in Iraq last June, and two additional losses in a single week last October, the most recent incident brings OIR Predator losses to at least five. The cause of last week’s crash is currently under investigation.
After the first tranches of its ambitious low-Earth orbit constellation faced production and supply chain issues that delays launches, the Space Development Agency is trying something new for its next round of satellite procurement. The agency awarded a $55 million contract to SAIC on April 22 for “system engineering and integration…