A catastrophic electrical failure caused an MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted vehicle to crash in April during a mission over Afghanistan, Air Combat Command officials announced Tuesday. According to the findings of ACC’s accident investigation board, a short circuit most likely caused the failure, which led to the MQ-1 losing contact with its ground control station during the April 20 mission. The aircraft, whose wreckage was recovered the next day, was carrying one Hellfire missile when it went down in eastern Afghanistan. The value of the lost aircraft and its components is approximately $4.6 million, ACC said. (Langley release) (AIB report)
When the Space Force discusses the cyber threats faced by the service or the commercial satellite providers it uses, it typically frames the issue as a nation-state one. But for cyber defenders in the commercial space sector responsible for day-to-day operations, the reality is rather different: Like other providers of…
