By Marina Malenic The Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper flew its first operational mission over Iraq yesterday, the service said in a statement released from Balad Air Base, north of Baghdad. The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI)-built Reaper, also known as Predator B, became operational last year. It has flown approximately 480 sorties, totaling more than 3,800 flight hours, over Afghanistan since arriving there in September 2007, according to the Air Force. The heavily armed Reaper has a maximum payload capacity…
Congress Updates
Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Urge Trump Admin Support For Marines’ JLTV Second Supplier Effort
Wisconsin’s GOP congressional delegation is urging the Trump administration to support legislative language enabling the Marine Corps to potentially bring in a second Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) supplier. The […]
Senate’s CR Has Ship Construction Exemption, Forgoes White House’s Battleship, Munitions Requests
The Senate on Sunday released a bipartisan stopgap funding proposal to keep the government open through December 11, which would also secure additional funds to support ongoing shipbuilding efforts and […]
U.S. Fighter Fleet Will Expand By 2040 But More Stealth Aircraft Will Mean Less Availability, CBO Says
The number of fighter aircraft in the U.S. military inventory will decline over the next few years before expanding to a greater number than currently, but their availability for operational […]
White House Details ‘Concerns’ With Shipbuilding, Spaced-Based Interceptor Oversight In House’s NDAA
The White House has detailed “a number of concerns” with the newly-passed House version of the next defense policy bill, to include the legislation’s limits on procuring Navy ships built […]