The Air Force identified the pilot who died when the U-2 he was flying in crashed during a training mission Tuesday morning near Beale AFB, Calif. Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie, assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, and another pilot ejected before the TU-2S crashed near the Sutter Buttes in the Sacramento Valley shortly after takeoff at about 9:05 a.m.? local time, according to a release. The other pilot, who has not been identified, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is receiving care at a local facility. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
