The 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and the 31st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Aviano AB, Italy, are among the winners of Secretary of Defense Field-level Maintenance Awards for 2008, the Pentagon announced Aug. 4. These awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in military equipment and weapon systems maintenance. The Hurlburt group was one of two winners across the services in the large-size unit category, while the Aviano squadron was one of two medium-sized units recognized. The awards will be presented on Oct. 29 in Denver at the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards banquet.
The Air Force needs a high-end aircraft that can operate in contested environments that will work with the service’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft semi-autonomous drones and other less pricey platforms, the service's officer said March 18. “Instead of going all high-end and then breaking the bank and not being able…