New York Air National Guard MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft are performing taxiing runs alongside civil air traffic at Syracuse International Airport, paving the way for federal approval to fly from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base. “Our goal [all] along has been to fly off of Hancock Field and today’s taxi event is another step towards this goal,” 174th Attack Wing Commander Col. Greg Semmel said in a release. The unit conducts pilot and sensor operator training from Hancock—located at the civil airport, but the Reapers currently fly from Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield on Ft. Drum, north of Syracuse. The unit began limited taxi-trials on an ANG ramp at Hancock back in August, and expanded to airport-wide runs, developing procedures with air traffic control and other aircraft on Dec. 6. Officials are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to clear Reapers to transit civilian airspace from Hancock to Ft. Drum’s range-space. Clearance is expected in early 2015, states the release.
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
