Accident rates for Air Force remotely piloted aircraft are decreasing despite the steep escalation in RPA flight hours, said Air Force safety officials in a Sept. 11 release. These RPAs include the MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, and RQ-4 Global Hawk. “The MQ-1 was the second most flown airframe last year, second only to the C-17,” said Lt. Col. Maggie Howard, RPA branch chief with the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M. Between Fiscal 2007 and Fiscal 2011, MQ-1 flying hours “increased from approximately 79,000 to 239,000—a 200 percent increase,” she added. Despite that spike, “RPA safety rates are improving over time due to design and system re-engineering,” said Ken Pascoe, AFSC systems safety engineer. Last year, Air Force RPAs suffered 13 Class A mishaps, averaging 3.8 serious accidents per 100,000 flight hours, according to the release. That rate is “currently lower” than the F-16’s frequency of serious accidents, noted AFSC operations analyst Greg Grigson. (Kirtland report by Darlene Cowsert)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
