The California Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing at March Air Reserve Base last week deployed an MQ-1 remotely piloted aircraft in support of firefighters battling the Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park in the central part of the state. The Predator, operating from Victorville, north of San Bernardino, first flew in support of the firefighting efforts on Aug. 28, according to a Pentagon release. Flying overhead, the Predator’s cameras are providing real-time imagery on the wildfires. “It will identify where fire activity is located and how it is moving, as well as where it has been controlled,” said California Air Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Keegan. The Predator will also help firefighters identify safe routes of retreat and locate new fires created by lightning strikes or floating embers, he said. (AFPS report by Donna Miles)
The Department of the Air Force is limiting medical shaving profiles to a maximum of six months, down from the previous limit of five years, and will soon require Airmen and Guardians with profiles issued in the last 10 months to be reevaluated as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s…
