The International Security Assistance Force reports that a US Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed late last night in southern Afghanistan, killing three service members and one civilian employee and injuring numerous other service members. Cause of the crash is unknown, according to the ISAF release, which also noted that the tilt-rotor aircraft had crashed about seven miles west of Qalat City in Zabul Province. Air Force Special Operations Command’s CV-22 force made its combat debut in Southwest Asia last fall.
The advanced F-47 sixth-generation fighter remains on track to fly in the next two years, the senior Air Force acquisition officer overseeing the program said Feb. 25, as the service continues on its ambitious schedule to debut the air superiority-focused fighter by 2028—only three years after the contract was awarded…