The Air Force identified the pilot who died when the U-2 he was flying in crashed during a training mission Tuesday morning near Beale AFB, Calif. Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie, assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, and another pilot ejected before the TU-2S crashed near the Sutter Buttes in the Sacramento Valley shortly after takeoff at about 9:05 a.m.? local time, according to a release. The other pilot, who has not been identified, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is receiving care at a local facility. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
