The Pentagon announced that Defense Department forensic experts have identified the remains of 1st Lt. Robert F. Dees, an F-84 pilot from Moultrie, Ga., missing in action from the Korean War. They were returned to his family for burial with full military honors. His funeral was scheduled for Jan. 22 in Ozark, Ala. On Oct. 9, 1952, Dees’ F-84 went down while attacking enemy boxcars on the railroad near Sinyang, North Korea. He was 23 at the time. Airborne searches over the battlefield failed to locate him or his aircraft. DOD forensic scientists used his dental records to identify his remains from among the repatriated remains of thousands US service personnel buried in 1956 as “unknown” in Hawaii. (DOD release)
The Pentagon awarded a contract worth over $2 billion for the next batch of F-35 engines to Pratt & Whitney on June 5. The deal for Lot 17 F135 engines, totaling $2.02 billion, is expected to be completed by December 2025.