UAV

Photo courtesy Chicago Automaidan via Міжнародний Альянс Братської Допомоги Facebook page.

U.S. organization sends drones to Ukrainian military

By Oriana Pawlyk on February 19, 2015 Technology, UAV

Medical supplies, outdoor gear, camo, sleeping bags and now — drones. These items have reached the battlefields in the east as new images on social media show Ukrainian soldiers holding the unmanned aircraft. While the drones are far from military grade and are more akin to ones hobbyists could easily purchase in the United States, they can fly hundreds of feet in the air and beam back video to tablets and smartphones on the ground. But unlike military grade equipment, these commercial drones will likely be subject to jamming from adversaries. And that’s why the organization managing these supplies —…

Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway will portray an Air Force fighter pilot reassigned to operate a drone in a new play called "Grounded." (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Anne Hathaway cast as drone pilot in play

By Stephen Losey on January 23, 2015 UAV

Actress Anne Hathaway, who won the 2012 Academy Award for her supporting role in “Les Miserables,” is going to star in an off-Broadway one-woman play about an Air Force fighter pilot who is reassigned to fly a drone. “Grounded,” by George Brant, is about a “swaggering pilot, whose work day involves killing from afar and home life includes a husband longing for her to unwind and a daughter who plays with pink ponies,” as the New York Times described the play last year. A theater magazine called TDF Stages further described the play, which will start April 7 at New York’s…

Drone pilots take center stage in ‘Good Kill’

By Oriana Pawlyk on January 7, 2015 Air Force, UAV

The Air Force has had cameos in the films like ‘Godzilla,’ ‘Iron Man,’ and an episode or two of ‘Homeland.’ But in ‘Good Kill,’ audiences can zero-in on the drone pilot realm where war becomes an arbitrary arena. Not before long, U.S. Air Force pilot-turned-drone operator Tom Egan (Ethan Hawke) questions if his ground-based cockpit missions (as one drone pilot calls it “warheads on foreheads”) are too much to handle. Hawke’s character — logging 3,000 hours in F-16s, six tours and 200 combat sorties — at some point decides that returning to the front lines would be better than his…

Drone pilots say the darndest things

By Oriana Pawlyk on June 25, 2014 Air Force, Technology, UAV

More fighter pilots than expected stay in — this week's Air Force Times

By Jeff Schogol on November 25, 2013 Air Combat Command, Air Force, Airframes, budget cuts, Defense Department, Leadership, Pentagon, Promotions, UAV, Uncategorized

More fighter pilots took the $225,000 bonus to extend their contracts for nine years than senior Air Force officials have indicated. Air Force Times looks at how many fighter pilots took the bonus in fiscal 2013 and why Acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning said earlier this month that pilots were being lured away by the airlines. Also this week: Next month, the Air Force plans to roll out its new web portal that will support mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. Here is what you need to know. Meanwhile, budget cuts have limited the opportunities for enlisted…

More fighter pilots than expected stay in — this week’s Air Force Times

By Jeff Schogol on November 25, 2013 Air Combat Command, Air Force, Airframes, budget cuts, Defense Department, Leadership, Pentagon, Promotions, UAV, Uncategorized

Grass: Principle of one Guard flying wing per state likely to end

By Brian Everstine on September 18, 2013 Air Force, Air National Guard, UAV

The Air National Guard will be forced to move away from the “capstone principle” of one flying unit per state as budgets continue to cut, with more units changing missions away from manned flight. As opposed to flying mobility and fighter aircraft, states will now see more remotely piloted aircraft and cyber warfare units, said Army Gen. Frank Grass, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said today at the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. “The future is each state may not have a manned flying mission any more,” Grass said. The process began…

Official: Air Force's ISR mission in Africa could expand

By Jeff Schogol on April 18, 2013 Air Force, UAV, Uncategorized

It’s possible that the U.S. mission to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in Africa could grow, said Lt. Gen. Larry James, the Air Force’s top ISR official. In late February, President Obama told Congress that about 100 airmen deployed to southwest Niger to help provide intelligence to French forces fighting al-Qaida in Mali and other partners in the region. “Depending how the threat evolves, how much we want to go after that threat with what, [the ISR mission] could expand in the future,” James said at an Air Force Association breakfast on Thursday.” ISR is absolutely key to executing those…

Official: Air Force’s ISR mission in Africa could expand

By Jeff Schogol on April 18, 2013 Air Force, UAV, Uncategorized

Hottest civilian jobs for airmen — this week's Air Force Times

By Jeff Schogol on April 8, 2013 Air Force, UAV, Uncategorized

If you’re preparing to enter the private sector, then you want to check out this week’s cover story about which jobs defense firms are looking for and how you can get them. We provide a list of the AFSCs with transferable skills in the civilian world and what degrees and certifications you need to land a job at one of the 10 companies we spoke to. Also in this week’s edition: A New York City-based fashion designer has come out with a hoodie and other clothing that will help you avoid detection from unmanned aircraft. It’s the latest thing if…

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