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Aviation News

Australia cleared to buy 12 MQ-9Bs

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The U.S. government has cleared the sale of 12 MQ-9B unmanned air vehicles to Australia for an estimated cost of $1.651 billion.

An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle comes in for a landing at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Nov. 20. Reapers are remotely piloted and can linger over battlefields, providing persistent strike capabilities to ground force commanders. This Reaper is deployed to the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron from Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

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M-SHORAD being deployed to Europe

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The Mobile Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system is to be deployed to Europe by the U.S. Army.

The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADA), 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, is the first unit in the Army to receive the Mobile Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system. The M-SHORAD integrates existing guns, missiles, rockets and sensors onto a Stryker A1 vehicle. The system is designed to defend maneuvering forces against unmanned aircraft systems, rotary-wing and residual fixed-wing threats.

Photo by Capt. Jordan Allen
10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command
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AC-130J going to Philippines for live-firing practice

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A AC-130J gunship from the 73rd Special Operations Squadron will be participating in the Balikatan exercise in Philippines.

Air Force Special Operations Command’s first Block 30 AC-130J Ghostrider gunship arrives at Hurlburt Field, Florida, March 6, 2019. This is the first Block 30 AC-130J for the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt, and will replace the AC-130U Spooky gunship as it retires from service after more than 20 years of operation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joel Miller)

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