An Air Force Accident Investigation Board was not able to determine why an MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle that crashed May 13 (earlier reported as May 14) in Afghanistan lost contact with its ground control station, Air Combat Command announced Sept. 22. Operators were unable to reestablish a return link, and officials presumed the UAV went down in a forward operating area. The AIB found “sufficient evidence” to rule out “weather, icing, aircrew performance or qualifications, fuel starvation, or maintenance discrepancies,” the release said. The UAV was valued at some $3.9 million.
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…