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)
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
