An MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft operating under the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio crashed yesterday in the Mojave desert area, north of El Mirage Airfield, in Southern California. The aircraft flew on a daylight test mission. It took off from the Gray Butte Airfield located about 5 miles east of El Mirage. Both airfields are about midway between Palmdale and Victorville and are about 15 miles south of Edwards AFB. The cause of the accident will be investigated by an Air Force investigation board.
Elbit Systems Introduces a New Tactical UAS: the Hermes 650 Spark
Elbit Systems has rolled out the Hermes 650 Spark, the latest addition to its Hermes family of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS). Spark is designed to be the contemporary successor to the long-serving Hermes 450, aiming to modernize UAS fleets that currently consist of mixed 450/900 models or are exclusively equipped with the 450 variants.