The Utah Congressional delegation has announced that the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill AFB, Utah, will handle depot maintenance for key components of the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles. An earlier announcement about winning this work turned out to be premature, but the Utah lawmakers say, this time, USAF “has officially confirmed” the news. In the release, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) said, “The Air Force’s decision to make Hill a leader in maintaining this important surveillance and weapons system is a tribute to the base’s outstanding depot maintenance program and hardworking and highly skilled workforce.” Sen. Bob Bennett (R) added, “UAV’s are among the most successful weapons in fighting terrorism, and I am pleased that such valuable tools are making their way to Hill.” The release, from Hatch’s office, lists the subsystems that the Ogden ALC will handle for the MQ-1 and MQ-9, and it includes another list of components for the high-flying RQ-4 Global Hawk that USAF has directed to Ogden.
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
