A U-2 pilot achieved 100 combat sorties in the Dragon Lady earlier this month during a mission in Southwest Asia. Identified only by his call sign “Spock,” for security reasons, this major joined an elite handful of pilots to reach the triple-digit mark while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and combined operations in the Horn of Africa. “The 100 combat sorties is still kind of a new thing since we’ve started to support OIF and OEF within the last five years. It’s a milestone for me,” said Spock, who accumulated the missions during six deployments in a two-and-a-half-year period. He reached the milestone on April 7. A B-52 pilot before transitioning to the U-2 cadre, Spock is deployed from Beale AFB, Calif., to an unnamed air base in the region. He’s flying with the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron. (380th AEW report by MSgt. Julie Briden-Garcia)
Collaborative Combat Aircraft designs from Anduril and General Atomics passed their critical design reviews early in November, clearing the way for detailed production efforts to get underway, the Air Force said. How future versions will be upgraded is still under discussion.