The Air Force has deployed several unarmed MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft, along with a group of operators and maintainers, to Haiti as part of its contribution to the international relief mission there. These assets will provide streaming overhead video imagery to support the relief efforts in the Caribbean nation, which was rocked by a major earthquake on Jan. 12. “[The team] will help save lives and help onsite commanders make real time decisions,” said MSgt. Johnny Blankenship, superintendant of the 849th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M. For the Haiti mission, this squadron, a Predator training unit, teamed with members of the 432nd Wing and 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech AFB, Nev., who operate Predators in combat in Southwest Asia. (Creech report by SSgt. Alice Moore) (Holloman report by A1C Sondra Escutia)
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.