Retired Lt. Col. Charles Dryden, 87, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, died June 24 in Atlanta. He was one of the first Tuskegee pilots to lead airmen of the all-black 99th Fighter Squadron into battle against the Germans in World War II. Later in the war, he trained Tuskegee pilots. He remained in the Air Force until 1962, seeing additional combat action in Korea, amassing 4,000 total flying hours. He then went on to work for then-Lockheed Aeronautical Systems in Marietta, Ga. (For more read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Macon Telegraph)
The Pentagon is considering ditching the Air Force’s plan to buy the E-7 Wedgetail as it looks to outsource the airborne target-tracking mission to space, defense officials indicated this week.