MSgt. Anthony Acciani, an EC-130H Compass Call flight engineer, flew his 1,000th career sortie May 7 during a mission over Iraq. Acciani, a 21-year Air Force veteran, is deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., with the 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron. Serving initially as an F-16 crew chief, he made the switch to flight engineer 14 years ago, training first in the now-retired C-141 cargo aircraft. “My first sortie was the beginning of something that is pretty special to me,” he said. Since he transitioned to the EC-130H, he has flown more than 200 combat sorties. (386th AEW report by Capt. Jason McCree)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.