Members 
of the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing at March Air Reserve Base inaugurated the unit’s new $5 million, 17,500-square-foot hangar at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. The state-of-the-art facility, meant to support the wing’s remotely piloted aircraft schoolhouse, is the Air Guard’s first hangar specifically designed for RPAs. It accommodates two MQ-9 Reapers or three MQ-1 Predators; an adjacent fabric “big top” hangar can protect an additional two Reapers or five Predators, according to the wing’s July 2 release. Construction of the hangar commenced in August 2010. The facility’s ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on June 15 with dignitaries including Army Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, California’s adjutant general. (Victorville report by MSgt. Julie Avey)
With key members of Congress wavering on the possibility of a $350 billion defense reconciliation bill, defense experts told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Pentagon is likely drawing up budget backup plans—but such plans would face hard choices between high-end weapons and low-cost drones and other programs in…