An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle went down on Sunday in northern Afghanistan, while an MQ-1 Predator crashed Monday in central Iraq. The Reaper was lost during a combat mission, impacting the side of a mountain at approximately 5:30 a.m. Kabul time, the service said in a statement. According to the narrative, positive control of the MQ-9 was lost during its flight, and since it remained on a course that would have seen it depart Afghan airspace, an Air Force manned aircraft “took proactive measures to down the MQ-9” in a remote area. As for the Predator, it crashed at about 12:45 p.m. Baghdad time, not due to hostile fire, according to an Air Forces Central release. There were no reports of civilian injuries or damage to civilian property in either mishap. Boards are being convened to investigate both incidents.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.