Air Force Academy graduate 1st Lt. Candice Killian is USAF’s first qualified female CV-22 pilot. “I didn’t find out I was the first female pilot until they chose me” for pilot training, explained Killian. She added, “It’s an honor that they would choose me. It’s nice to be a part of this elite organization.” Killian is now designated Osprey pilot No. 97 since she is the 97th CV-22 pilot to go through the training pipeline. She’s now heading to her next duty station: Hurlburt Field, Fla. Lt. Col. Larry Riddick, commander of the 71st Operations Squadron at Kirtland AFB, N.M., that trains Osprey pilots, said Killian “met and in some cases exceeded” expectations. “It’s been fantastic having her here and I look forward to hearing about her career,” he said. (Kirtland report by Stefan Bocchino)
The F-47 fighter will be run differently than previous fighter programs and share the same mission systems architecture as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. That means advances in one will fuel advances in the other.