One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University

The RQ–1 Predator—a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle
system—is used primarily for reconnaissance and target acquisition but sometimes
to deliver ordnance.
2001
2001
February 3: Four C–17s delivered relief equipment and supplies to India
after an earthquake that killed as many as 30,000 people and left hundreds
of thousands homeless. The C–17s airlifted the relief cargo from
Guam, where it had been delivered by two C–5s from California.
KC–135s refueled the transports as they crossed the Pacific and Indian
Oceans.
February 21: An RQ–1 Predator fired a Hellfire missile to hit a tank at Nellis
Air Force Base, Nevada, becoming the first unmanned aerial vehicle
to destroy a ground target. Until then, the remotely controlled airplane
had been used only for reconnaissance.
February 24: Lt. Col. Stayce D. Harris became the first black woman to command
a USAF flying squadron, the 729th Airlift Squadron at March
Air Force Base, California.
March 4: Nancy Reagan christened the newest Navy aircraft carrier, the
Ronald Reagan, at Newport News, Virginia.
March 23: After more than 15 years of service in orbit, Russia’s Mir space station
fell to Earth.
April 1: A Chinese fighter pilot rammed a Navy EP–3 reconnaissance aircraft
over international waters of the South China Sea, forcing the Navy
plane to land with severe damage on Hainan Island in China. After 11
days, diplomatic efforts persuaded China to release the 24-man crew,
which included one USAF member.
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