A Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter crashed Tuesday near Hom, Syria, killing two pilots. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the helicopter, which it refers to as Night Hunter and NATO calls Havoc, crashed because of “technical reasons,” reported Reuters. The bodies of the pilots were recovered and transported to Hmeymim air base in Latakia province. Russian helicopters have been supporting advances of Syrian regime troops, even though Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he was withdrawing most of the country’s troops in Syria. The Mi-28 was the third aircraft Russia has said it has lost in Syria, including the Su-24 Turkey shot down in November and the helicopter that was shot down while attempting to rescue the pilots.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.