An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft crashed Tuesday in southern California while flying on a test mission. USAF officials said the aircraft went down about one mile north of El Mirage Airfield in a sparsely populated area. No property damage or personal injuries were initially reported. The Reaper took off from Gray Butte Airfield, located about five miles east of El Mirage. Those airfields are midway between Palmdale and Victorville, about 15 miles south of Edwards Air Force Base. USAF will convene a board of officers to investigate the incident. (Wright-Patterson release)
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.