Earlier this month, Maj. Tammy Barlette, from the Arizona Air National Guard’s 214th Reconnaissance Group, became the first Reserve Component remotely piloted vehicle operator to graduate from the Air Force Weapons School Instructor Course at Nellis AFB, Nev. Barlette and three active-duty RPV pilots were the first RPV operators to attend the 5.5-month-long course. “I’ve been through a lot of training but nothing as difficult as this,” said Barlette, a former A-10 pilot who left active duty to fly MQ-1 Predators over Iraq and Afghanistan full time with the Guard. She is now dual-qualified in the Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. Part of her responsibility now will be to teach her fellow Guardsmen RPV operational tactics. (Nellis report by Maj. Gabe Johnson)
Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test
March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon on March 13 fell short of a fully successful test, but the Air Force isn’t saying what went wrong with the Lockheed Martin-built hypersonic missile. The defense giant's Missiles and Fire Control division recently said the ARRW is "ready…