For the eighth year in a row, the 432nd Maintenance Group at Creech AFB, Nev., has exceeded Air Combat Command’s standard for keeping remotely piloted aircraft mission-capable, according to its parent unit, the 432nd Wing. This record of achievement has made the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper “some of the most reliable aircraft platforms in the Air Force today,” states the wing’s June 2 release. While ACC’s standard MC rate for RPAs is 86 percent, the MQ-1 achieved a 95.4 percent MC rate and the MQ-9 held a 90.4 percent MC rate in the period from April 2013 to April 2014, states the release. “This high [mission-capable] rate is impressive because of the amount of hours these guys fly,” said a chief master sergeant with the 432nd MXG. “Crews burn up the hours on these planes and we’re still incredibly successful in terms of maintenance,” he said. The maintenance group comprises a mix of more than 400 airmen from across the Total Force and some contractors.
Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
