The Arizona Air National Guard launched its first stateside MQ-1 Predator sortie last week from Fort Huachuca, Ariz. The sortie was enabled by the stand up of the unit’s new Launch and Recovery Element, according to a unit release. “The LRE completion is a product of more than six years of planning and preparation, and the first flight of an Arizona MQ-1 … was a great milestone for our wing,” said 162nd Wing Commander Col. Phil Purcell. The wing’s 214th Reconnaissance Group began flying remote RPA combat missions in theatre from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., eight years ago. The new LRE will now take on a crew-training role to “prepare airmen from across the country to operate and maintain our nation’s RPA assets, and as one of only five ANG LREs in the country, Arizona remains at the forefront of readiness for any federal or state requirement,” Purcell added. The unit has logged more than 70,000 combat flying hours to date, and is still awaiting the completion of hangars and support facilities next year.
More than 100 B-21s will be needed if the nation is to avoid creating a high demand/low capacity capability, panelists said on a Hudson Institute webinar. The B-21's flexibility, stealth, range and payload will be in high demand for a wide range of missions, both traditional and new.