The
Iraqi air force has conducted its first-ever aeromedical evacuation mission—albeit still under US tutelage. The mission occurred May 14 as an Iraqi UH-1 Huey II helicopter ferried an Iraqi man who was recovering from severe injuries following an IED attack from the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base to the Army’s 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. “This is the first [medevac] mission in the history of the Iraqi Air Force,” said Iraqi Lt. Amar, a flight medic instructor. “I hope to succeed in this mission to serve my country.” The Iraqi crew consisted of a pilot, flight medic, and aerial gunner. Each had a US counterpart onboard. (Balad report by SSgt. Mareshah Haynes)
The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force has unveiled a new electronic warfare drone designed to fly with fighter jets into contested airspace, including alongside its fleet of F-35s. RAF says it plans to develop models that draw on the U.S. Air Force’s approach of mating unmanned systems with crewed platforms.