The U.S. flew a B-1B bomber over the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday for its first precision-guided bombing drill with South Korea in seven years. The pilot, the only person on board, was able to escape after crashing and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to authorities. While the cause of a spike in maintenance-related accidents remains elusive, the Air Force said its maintainer recruitment has improved. The Air Force bestowed the Distinguished Flying Cross on two special operations airmen who died in an Osprey's 2010 crash-landing in Afghanistan. A U.S. Air Force F-16C fighter crashed in a field in northwestern South Korea last year after the jet partially lost power, an investigation found. An F-16 assigned to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, crashed around 11:50 a.m. local time on Tuesday. After an engine fire destroyed a B-1 Lancer bomber in 2022, the Air Force picked a new "Bone" from its jet graveyard to replace it. The decision marks the service’s most significant step yet as it aims to create a series of drones using autonomous software to fly alongside piloted jets. A new risk worksheet introduced by Air Education and Training Command aims to get to the root of maintainer mishaps. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Tuesday he will enter the cockpit of an F-16 that the service has converted for drone flight to see how it performs. By Tara Copp, AP
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