Boeing’s 
Phantom Ray uninhabited aircraft test bed has arrived at Edwards AFB, Calif., for flight testing. The aircraft did not make the 1,800 mile journey to Edwards from St. Louis on its own power, but rather carried in a special cradle atop a modified NASA 747 used to ferry space shuttles. In fact, Phantom Ray became the first aircraft other than the space shuttles to hitch a ride on the shuttle carrier aircraft. On the day before the Dec. 14 ferry ride to Edwards, Boeing engineers conducted a test ride from St. Louis’ Lambert International Airport to verify that both aircraft were aerodynamically and structurally safe for the West Coast journey, according to the company’s release. Succeeding in this endeavor was “a real feat of engineering,” said Phantom Ray program manager Craig Brown. Phantom Ray completed ground taxi tests in St. Louis in November.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.