The Air Force’s $43.3 million contract to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems on Jan. 6 covers retrofit kits to bring MQ-9 Reaper Block 1 remotely piloted aircraft to the latest configuration, but not the extended-range standard as we reported in Tuesday’s Daily Report column. The kits include new heavyweight landing gear, newer bomb rack technology, and data-dissemination improvements, not enlarged wings and fuel tanks. We’ve corrected our original entry.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
