Radar Sweep
Pence on Surprise Iraq Trip to Reassure Kurds, Greet Troops
Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Nov. 23 in the highest-level American trip since President Donald Trump ordered a pullback of US forces in Syria two months ago.
RPA Lost Over Tripoli, Incident Under Investigation
An unarmed US Africa Command remotely piloted aircraft was lost over Tripoli, Libya, on Nov. 21.
Smith, Engel Concerned about Open Skies Treaty
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) are worried about the future of the Open Skies Treaty and whether the Trump administration plans to withdraw from the pact.
To Protect GPS Satellites, Esper Is Against Private 5G Proposal
Defense Secretary Mark Esper wants the Federal Communications Commission to reject a proposal by Ligado Networks to use L-Band spectrum for 5G, claiming that the system could jeopardize GPS services.
Hundreds of Air Force Academy Cadets Sickened in Norovirus Outbreak
A stomach flu has laid low 1 in every 10 cadets at the Air Force Academy since late October, and the school’s medics are working with public health authorities and reinforcements from other bases to treat the sick.
Air Force Investigating New Allegations That Privatized Housing Company Doctored Maintenance Records
In the wake of new allegations that a privatized housing company falsified maintenance records in order to get incentive bonuses, the Air Force has referred the matter to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
What It Takes to Turn a Vintage F-16 into a Drone
When the US Air Force launched the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1979, it had something no other military jet did: a computer. Four, actually. Their electrical signals commanded the aircraft instead of gears and pulleys, ushering aerial combat into the digital era. Now, after fighting in the Gulf and Iraq wars, some of these 49-foot supersonic jets are speeding toward an autonomous future. Believe it or not—we don't blame you for thinking the buttons in this cockpit couldn't belong to a droid—they've been retooled and given (short) new lives as drones.