Air Force World By Aaron Church, Associate Editor

Back in the Air (Again) Silver Star for Combat Controller F-22 Raptors at JB Langley-Eustis, TSgt. Ismael Villegas was awarded Va., and JB Elmendorf-Richardson, the Silver Star medal for gallantry in screenshot Alaska, were briefly grounded for a sec- action in Afghanistan. ond time this year, following the fleet’s Villegas was the lone combat control- return to the skies in September after ler assigned to an Army Special Forces a lengthy down period. team charged with clearing a road of Two pilots from Langley’s 1st Fighter improvised explosive devices near Bagh

Wing reported suffering hypoxia-like Khosak in September 2009. USAF photo by A1C Krystal GarrettM. symptoms on a training sortie from Lang- After insurgents ambushed the team, ley, Oct. 20. F-22s at both Langley and Villegas, who was assigned at the time Elmendorf were temporarily grounded to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at while the reports were investigated, as Pope Field, N.C., ran 200 feet across an a precautionary measure. exposed mine field to return fire while Alaskan Raptors resumed flight op- directing close air support from a better erations four days later, followed by the vantage point. Virginia-based aircraft Oct. 25. Langley He directed “precision firepower from fighters were immediately flying the artillery, as well as fixed- and rotary-wing “same number of sorties as before the assets” that resulted in 32 insurgents brief pause,” said a spokeswoman. The killed during the 16-hour firefight and 1st FW commander “continues to closely saving the lives of his teammates, ac- monitor operations,” she added. cording to Air Force Special Operations Service officials had yet to identify the Command officials. cause of the F-22’s oxygen issues, but Villegas accepted the Silver Star, allowed flying to resume in September saying the medal was for his comrades. under enhanced safety and monitoring “They put their lives on the line each day. measures. I’m taking this on behalf of all of those guys out there,” he said, after Air Force Airless National Guard? Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz House legislators expressed concern pinned the medal on him Oct. 27. that belt-tightening measures under consideration by the Air Force may seri- Last B53 Nuclear Bomb Dismantled ously threaten the Air National Guard. Workers at the Pantex weapons plant Representatives cited their concern in Amarillo, Tex., dismantled the final about possible elimination of the Guard’s B53 nuclear bomb in the US inventory C-5A fleet, divestment of three F-16 under the watchful eye of National wings, and reduction of the C-130 force Nuclear Security Administration of- by some 76 airframes, in addition to ficials Oct. 25. A-10 cuts and even termination of C-27J Last October, NNSA announced plans acquisitions. to dismantle the US arsenal of B53 Pressed on the consequences of nuclear free-fall weapons, which were such cuts, Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, retired in 1997. Air National Guard director, said it is “too Designed to be carried by Strategic early in the budgeting process to reach Air Command’s B-47, B-52, and B-58 any conclusion as to what may or may bombers, each B53 was roughly 10,000 not survive.” pounds and the size of a minivan. However, he added sternly, “if those Each B53 had a reported nine-mega- platforms were removed, ... in essence, ton yield. ... you would have the air being taken A week before the dismantlement of out of the Air National Guard.” the final B53, the NNSA announced its Softening his remarks only slightly, intention to complete dismantlement he noted that theoretically the Air Guard of the US entire store of W70 tactical could be fundamentally reoriented to nuclear weapons, deployed atop the assume missions such as cyber, engi- Army’s Lance missile system during neering, communications, and security the Cold War. forces, as well as participate more heavily NNSA officials said the elimination in remotely piloted aircraft operations. of the last B53 is a significant step in

12 AIR FORCE Magazine / December 2011 President Obama’s nuclear security “dot mil” domains, to the networks of CYBERCOM is a subunified com- agenda aimed at reducing the size of key defense companies, according to mand under US Strategic Command. the US stockpile. Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of US Strategic Command. Super Galaxy Blazes New Air Trail CYBERCOM Guarding Networks A pilot program was already under A C-5M Super Galaxy inaugurated The computer networks of critical US way in October to extend CYBERCOM a new nonstop supply route from the defense contractors—often guarding protection to “part of the industrial United States to Bagram Airfield, technological secrets key to military base,” Kehler told defense reporters Afghanistan. The 436th Airlift Wing security—will soon fall under the direct in Washington, D.C., Oct. 18. aircrew from Dover AFB, Del., lifted protection of the Defense Department. “We are seeing some good success” off from the East Coast base, crossed US Cyber Command announced it is with the effort and it will be “extended the Atlantic, overflew Europe, and extending protective protocols beyond for a period of time,” he said. continued on into Afghanistan.

C-130s fly in formation over a mountain range in Japan during a mission for Samurai Surge, an exercise designed to test and demonstrate USAF’s airlift capability in the Pacific. Six C-130s were launched for the one-day exercise, which taxed the efforts of 11.02.2011 maintainers and aircrew who, during their normal flying and training schedule, launch one to three aircraft a day. Based at Yokota AB, Japan, C-130s are the only tactical airlift fleet supporting Pacific Air Forces.

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The new route, which debuted in September, “provides invaluable options and increased flexibility, so air mobility assets can arrive where they’re needed faster and more efficiently,” said Brig. Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, commander of the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), Scott AFB, Ill. USAF photo by SSgt. Mike Meares Total flight time was less than 14 hours, sufficiently shorter than previous routes to avoid the traditional overnight stay in Germany for mandatory crew rest. The Galaxy rendezvoused with a KC-135 tanker from RAF Mildenhall, UK, for a refueling over England before continuing on to Bagram. Another C-5M proved the feasibility of flying from Dover to Bagram over the Arctic Circle during a similar route-shaping flight early this summer.

Reapers Begin East Africa Ops The United States recently began Keep in Touch: SrA. Jarod Bierman (l) and SrA. Drew Wilshire assemble pieces of a ground multiband terminal, a tactical satellite communications system, at Sather operating unarmed MQ-9 Reaper re- AB, Iraq. A communications network is being placed in preparation for the scheduled motely piloted aircraft over US military withdrawal from the country. from a forward airfield in neighboring . They had been operated from militant groups such as the Lord’s He was subsequently flown to Mike the . Resistance Army, al Shabab, and al O’Callaghan Federal Hospital for ex- Last year, the Air Force began upgrad- Qaeda affiliates. amination and released. ing Airport in southwestern Reaper sorties “will continue as long Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee told Ethiopia to support then-undisclosed as the government of Ethiopia welcomes the Associated Press that the crash site— operations in the region. With increasing our cooperation on these varied security on federal land northwest of Alamo—was US military involvement in East Africa, programs,” said Fisher in late October. “really hard to get to,” and much of the the Reaper surveillance flights currently airframe remained intact after the crash, provide “operation and technical support Broken Eagle but was soon enveloped in flames that for our security-assistance programs,” An F-15C on a sortie from Nellis consumed the wreckage on the ground. said MSgt. James Fisher, 17th Air Force AFB, Nev., crashed in a remote area The Air Force investigators imme- (Air Forces Africa) spokesman, quoted approximately 115 miles north of Las diately launched an investigation to in the Washington Post. Vegas in late October. determine the cause of the crash. Seventeenth Air Force advises and The pilot ejected without injury and supports regional partners such as was rescued by a helicopter 30 minutes Guard Is Top Cover for Withdrawal Ethiopia and Kenya that are fighting later as he hiked from the crash site. A combined squadron of F-16 pilots and support personnel from Arizona, Ohio, and Oklahoma Air National Guard Start Date for F-35 Training at Eglin Under Review units deployed to Iraq to cover US forces withdrawing from the country this year. A senior Pentagon official expressed “serious concerns” about starting F-35 “We’re providing close air support for training on USAF’s F-35A variant at Eglin AFB, Fla., this year as planned. more than 40,000 troops leaving Iraq by The Joint Strike Fighter program has yet to address some safety-related the end of the year,” said Lt. Col. Rick issues that could take up to 10 months to properly address, said J. Michael Poplin, commander of the combined Gilmore, director of Operational Test and Evaluation. 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, “Initiation of training in an immature aircraft risks the occurrence of a which deployed to Iraq in October. serious mishap. The consequences of a mishap at Eglin would overwhelm “During this historic undertaking to the very modest benefits of beginning flight training this fall,” wrote Gilmore reposture personnel, equipment, and in a memo to the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and bases, force protection remains inher- logistics, Oct. 21. ent in every operation we undertake,” High-level JSF program officials disagreed with Gilmore, posting a rebut- said Poplin. tal memo to the same Project on Government Oversight blog that originally released the memo airing Gilmore’s concerns. Iraq Regains Airspace Control Vice Adm. David J. Venlet, JSF program executive officer, and Air Force Lt. Early this fall, the Air Force handed Gen. Thomas J. Owen, commander of the Aeronautical Systems Center at over control of the last sector of Iraq’s Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, said that the risks asserted in the memo were airspace to the country’s civil aviation “covered at length during the three-star risk assessment board as part of authority, restoring airspace sover- the airworthiness process.” eignty to the nation for the first time In a third memo, Frank Kendall, acting USD (ATL), requested that the since 2003. Air Force review the topic and provide satisfactory resolution to the issue. Iraqi air traffic controllers took full responsibility for managing the country’s

14 AIR FORCE Magazine / December 2011 US Africa Command—as an efficiency Malware Spares RPAs measure earlier this year. Completed this fall, the facility pro- Remotely piloted aircraft controlled from Creech AFB, Nev., were unhin- vides the 400 AOC personnel with dered by a computer virus detected in the RPA ground control system there 553 workstations, 1,500 computers, in September, according to 24th Air Force officials. and 40 communication systems for “We felt it important to declassify portions of the information associated the center’s dual airspace monitoring with this event to ensure the public understands that the detected and quar- and operational command and control antined virus posed no threat to our operational mission and that control missions. of our remotely piloted aircraft was never in question,” said Col. Kathleen Engineers broke ground on the facil- Cook, Air Force Space Command spokeswoman at Petersen AFB, Colo. ity in 2008, completed the building’s After malware was discovered on portable hard drives used to transfer structure last summer, and finished information between systems, USAF analyzed the systems, isolated and final integration this year. traced the code to its source, and then cleaned the computers. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, US Air Forces The infected ground control systems support RPA operations but are in Europe commander, oversaw the separate from the Predator and Reaper flight control systems, used to guide ribbon cutting at Ramstein Oct. 7. RPAs in the air over Afghanistan and Iraq, officials said. Designated a “credential stealer,” rather than a key-logging program as A Libya Mercy Flight initially reported by the press, the bug was “considered more of a nuisance Three days before the end of NATO than an operational threat,” officials noted. operations over Libya, a 37th Airlift The virus “entered from the wild,” probably during a manual hard-drive Squadron C-130J from Ramstein AB, replacement, noted US Strategic Command Commander Gen. C. Robert Germany, ferried 32 injured Libyan Kehler, speaking in October. rebels from Tripoli to Germany for advanced medical treatment. The aeromedical flight marked the busiest section of sky, fully directing Beginning with the first sortie, Oct. first time that US aircrews evacu- all commercial traffic to Iraq’s five 18, the wing has launched approxi- ated Libyan casualties since chaos international airports. mately three training sorties a week erupted in the North African nation in The transfer of Baghdad-Balad air- from Wheeler-Sack, flying orbits over mid-March. space sector is “the culmination of a a designated range in the Adirondack “All of these patients were injured multiyear effort ... to help Iraq develop Mountains of northeastern New York. as a result of recent fighting and suffer a self-sufficient, national air traffic With the stand-up of a new MQ-9 from conditions that cannot currently control system,” stated an Oct. 1 US formal training unit at the wing’s head- be treated in Libya,” explained Defense Embassy-Baghdad news release. quarters at Hancock Field, the wing Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Secre- Iraqi aviation infrastructure still lacks was scheduled to begin supporting RPA tary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton modern equipment—something the training at the schoolhouse in November. in a joint statement. government must continue to improve Eventually, the cadre of Air Guards- The Secretaries called the gesture a upon, according to embassy officials, men manning the formal training unit will “small token of our support,” underscor- but the event is “a significant step for- train MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators ing US commitment “to Libya’s future.” ward in providing an essential service to from across the active duty, ANG, and Medical personnel from Ramstein and the people of Iraq,” stated the release. Air Force Reserve components, as well nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical The Air Force reopened the Baghdad as foreign military operators. Center ministered to the Libyans, 28 of Area Control Center in 2007, and US Fort Drum is north of Syracuse, near whom were subsequently transferred and British civilian advisors tutored Iraqi Watertown and the eastern shore of to undergo treatment in the United controllers up to the recent handover. Lake Ontario. States Oct. 29. The four remaining rebels were fer- Reapers Over Fort Drum Ramstein Opens Super AOC ried to a German hospital on a chartered MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted air- The newly consolidated 603rd Air Canadair business jet aircraft, tended craft began training sorties over New and Space Operations Center, tasked en route by a USAF critical care air York state, flying from Wheeler-Sack with air control of Europe and Africa, transport team. Army Airfield at Fort Drum. inaugurated a new 60,800-square-foot Members of the New York Air Na- combined command facility at Ramstein Engine Failure Doomed ANG F-16 tional Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing in AB, Germany. Air Combat Command accident Syracuse began RPA operations at Officials announced plans to merge investigators found “clear and convinc- Fort Drum after the Federal Aviation the two AOCs located in Europe—the ing evidence” that engine failure led to Administration approved flights early 603rd AOC supporting US European the crash of a Wisconsin Air National in October. Command and the 617th AOC supporting Guard F-16C in June. The report issued by the ACC ac- cident investigation board in October Index to Advertisers stated that “a failure of the power Alenia...... Cover II takeoff shaft forward main bearing as- Boeing...... 9, Cover IV sembly within the accessory gearbox” Dell...... 19 Hawker Beechcraft ...... 5 caused by inadequate lubrication from Lockheed Martin...... 3, 11, 25 a blocked oil line doomed the F-16. Pilatus...... 39 Assigned to the 176th Fighter Squad- USAA...... Cover III ron at Truax Field, the F-16 took off on a training mission June 7. Approximately AFA Corporate Membership...... 65 AFA Hangar Store...... 66 one hour and 23 minutes later, the AFA Legal Services...... 67 aircraft experienced a sudden loss of AFA Spotlight On ...... 65 thrust. Unable to restart the aircraft’s

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Fresno prompted the National Guard Talon vs. Raptor at Langley Bureau to postpone transferring the F-15s by eight months. T-38 adversary aircraft with the 27th Fighter Squadron at JB Langley- Instead of returning briefly to their Eustis, Va., attained initial operational capability shortly after Langley’s F-22s home base at Great Falls Airport, returned to the skies in September. the 120th’s 12 deployed and rotating “Our whole mission requires us to train against the Raptor,” said Col. Derek pilots and 35 maintainers will remain Wyler, 27th FS director of T-38 operations. With the fleetwide F-22 grounding in Hawaii. lifted, squadron T-38 pilots were quickly able to gain their required mission Next September, the Montana ANG qualifications, sprinting to T-38 IOC in under a month. will transition to its new missions: flying With the T-38s now up and running, the 1st FW now gets “more training at C-27J transports and supporting geo- a much lower cost,” said Col. Kevin Robbins, wing commander. The benefit spatial intelligence operations. comes primarily by eliminating the use of F-22 in the opposition role. With seven T-38s, the 27th FS is working to push daily sortie averages Reaper Crash Landing at Holloman from six to eight, despite a tiny pool of pilots. The squadron has only two An MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the full-time pilots assigned. “You’re looking at it,” said Wyler, gesturing to his 29th Attack Squadron crashed on final assistant ops director, Lt. Col. Brian Kelly. approach to Holloman AFB, N.M., in “We didn’t get any additional bodies to fly T-38s,” forcing the squadron to the fifth such incident since Air Combat innovate an elaborate solution, explained Robbins. The squadron draws on Command established RPA training at a pool of dual-qualified F-22 pilots, as well as staff pilots from Air Combat the base in 2009. Command headquarters (also at Langley), and pilots from the 1st FW’s as- Operated by one of ACC’s RPA flight sociate unit, the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd FW—each pilot chipping training units, the Reaper had just in five sorties on average per month. completed a local training sortie when With the success thus far, Langley’s T-38 program could potentially expand the Oct. 7 incident occurred. to 14 airframes, depending on Fiscal 2013 funding, according to Robbins. There were no injuries or damage to private property, according to the base release, and a board will convene to investigate the cause of the accident. engine, the pilot ejected, sustaining skies for another year, extending their only superficial injuries. mission at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Stealthy Academy Target The F-16 crashed next to an unoccu- Hawaii, through next September. A stealthy, twin-engine drone de- pied summer cabin 66 miles northwest of Six F-15s of the 120th Fighter Wing signed by cadets at the Air Force Truax, in a rural area near New Chester, in Great Falls deployed to Hickam last Academy for fifth generation aerial target Wis. Both the aircraft and residence were August to cover the Hawaii ANG’s alert training recently won the attention of completely destroyed. mission as Hickam’s 199th Fighter USAF officials. Squadron transitioned to the F-22 Raptor. The project was selected as a finalist Bears Drop In on NATO Upon returning to Montana, the 120th in the Air Force’s competitive search A pair of Russian Air Force Tu-95 FW’s Eagles were slated for transfer to for a threat-representative aerial target strategic bombers breached NATO air- the California ANG’s 144th FW at Fresno drone suitable for F-22 and F-35 air space, triggering an Oct. 11 scramble Yosemite Airport. combat training. of Alliance fighters from the UK. According to the Great Falls Tribune, If selected, it would be the first Typhoon fighters on quick-reaction environmental assessment delays at academy-designed airplane meant for alert at RAF Leuchars, Scotland, launched to intercept and identify the Bear bombers. According to the RAF, the aircraft en- tered UK airspace unannounced to civil or military air traffic control. The bomb- ers failed to transmit a radar-tracking “squawk” code or to submit a required international flight plan. The Typhoons escorted the bombers until they cleared UK airspace. The Bears

were assigned to Russian Long Range USAF photo by SrA. Grovert Fuentes-Contreras Aviation, the rough equivalent of Air Force Global Strike Command’s bomber force. NATO members police Alliance airspace under a common command and control structure to track and interdict potential air threats. Reversing a post-Cold War lull, un- announced Russian incursions have become increasingly common in NATO airspace over the past five years. Sniffin’ Out Trouble: SSgt. Martin Ratkowski holds the tether attached to his military working dog, Tosca, as Tosca investigates a home in Mizan, Afghanistan, Stuck on the Sunny Side in search of homemade explosives. Ratkowski and Tosca are with the Provincial F-15s from the Montana Air National Reconstruction Team Zabul, which conducts civil-military operations in Zabul prov- Guard will continue to guard Hawaiian ince in support of the Afghan government.

16 AIR FORCE Magazine / December 2011 The War on Terrorism has worked with cadets on the airplane since 2003. Recent wind-tunnel tests with a scaled model demonstrated positive flight char- Operation Enduring Freedom acteristics, meaning a full-scale aircraft could potentially be constructed and Casualties airworthy within about two years. By Nov. 16, a total of 1,826 Americans had died in Operation Enduring Freedom. The total includes 1,823 troops and three Department of Defense Short Order AWACS civilians. Of these deaths, 1,452 were killed in action with the enemy, while An Air Force engineering team suc- 374 have died in noncombat incidents. cessfully demonstrated several new There have been 14,837 troops wounded in action during OEF. capabilities for E-3 AWACS aircraft, proving a trio of new concepts in a DC Vipers Deploy to Afghanistan demonstration test at Tinker AFB, Okla. The District of Columbia Air National Guard’s 113th Wing recently launched First on the list of requests from the the first ANG F-16 deployment to Afghanistan, dispatching several aircraft war zones was a modification to the to Bagram Airfield there. Sentry’s Situational Awareness Data “This is the first F-16 package the Air National Guard will send to Afghani- Link. Operating on the Link 16 net- stan, so it presents some new challenges for us,” said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey R. work, the E-3 can currently only send Johnson, 113th Wing commander. airspace information directly to other Departing from JB Andrews, Md., Oct. 11, the deployment to Bagram fol- Link 16-capable aircraft, which excludes lows a tour in Iraq that concluded some 18 months ago. The unit also leads types such as the A-10 and many Air the NORAD mission to provide air defenses for the National Capital Region, National Guard fighters. rendering planning all the more complex, noted Johnson. The new SADL pioneered by the demo “Even though we are deploying our forces forward to Afghanistan, we still team “lets us use the E-3 as an opportu- maintain a constant homeland defense mission here at home.” More than nistic aerial gateway ... to provide direct 175 aircrew, maintainers, and support personnel deployed with the first ANG communication and send the air picture” F-16 package. to those other platforms, said Jonathan Keeping Busy in the Name of Liberty Lee, AWACS lead project engineer. The two other low-cost and minimally MC-12 reconnaissance aircraft assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Recon- invasive modifications recently dem- naissance Squadron recently surpassed 10,000 sorties and 50,000 flight onstrated the AWACS ability to extend hours since deploying to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, two years ago. Link 16 beyond line of sight using a Lt. Col. James Thompson, 4th ERS commander, said the MC-12s—which satellite mobile telephone, and to switch also operate with the 362nd ERS of JB Balad, Iraq, and 361st ERS at Kan- between USAF and Army networks in dahar Airfield, Afghanistan—“are flying at the greatest rate” of any manned flight without rebooting. aircraft in the Air Force. Liberty aircrew with the 4th ERS routinely reach the maximum authorized flying hours permitted in a month, according to B-1 Upgrade unit officials. USAF awarded Boeing a $57 million Providing live video and signals intelligence to ground troops, the unit contract to begin the next phase of up- contributed directly to the elimination or capture of 4,000 targets by October. grades on Air Combat Command’s B-1 Investigation Confirms RPG Downed Chinook bomber fleet. US Central Command investigators conclusively determined that an The planned tweaks will enhance the insurgent-fired rocket-propelled grenade brought down an Army CH-47 navigation, weapons delivery, radar, helicopter in an attack that killed 30 US servicemen and eight Afghans in diagnostics, communication and navi- Southwest Asia this August. gation-management system software, Based on wreckage, witness accounts, and full-motion video footage, and controls and displays, according to CENTCOM officials determined an RPG struck the helicopter’s aft rotor as Boeing representatives. it approached the landing zone, severing a blade and disintegrating both of “Keeping the platform relevant and the helicopter’s two rotors. ready is more important now than ever. According to the investigation team findings, the aircraft’s “main fuselage These annual software block upgrades dropped vertically,” exploding on impact. enhance the sustainability of the B-1s and “This mission, and the tactics and resources employed in its execution, provide needed capabilities that aid this were consistent with previous US special operations missions, and the strike nation’s defenders,” said Rick Greenwell, forces selected ... were appropriate,” investigating officer Army Brig. Gen. Boeing’s B-1 program director. Jeffrey N. Colt wrote in the official summary, released Oct. 12. Block 16A upgrades complement the Three airmen were among the victims killed during the night mission to B-1’s recently completed color cockpit kill or capture a Taliban leader in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Aug. 6. The displays, data link, and sensor enhance- Air Force deceased, all from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, ments, boosting the aircrew’s overall N.C., were TSgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.; SSgt. Andrew W. situational awareness, stated a Boeing Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif.; and TSgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa. release in October. Candidate Bases Identified Three bases made the Air Force’s list of large-scale production to join the Air The cadets are still competing against candidates to host an active duty MQ-1/ Force’s fleet, reported the Colorado one other team, with selection of the MQ-9 remote split operations squadron. Springs Gazette. winner possible by the end of the year, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.; JB Pearl Powered by jet engines from a T-38 according to the report. “There are still a Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; and Shaw AFB, trainer, the design is 40 feet in length, lot of people who have to say yes,” said S.C., are all in the running for the MQ-1/ with a wingspan of 24 feet. academy professor Steve Brandt, who MQ-9 RSO unit, which would bring

AIR FORCE Magazine / December 2011 17 Air Force World

Senior Staff Changes instruction in threat discrimination and tactical target engagement. RETIREMENTS: Lt. Gen. Vern M. Findley II, Maj. Gen. David W. Eidsaune, Maj. Gen. Both A and B groups must score 70 Patrick D. Gillett Jr., Maj. Gen. Michael A. Snodgrass, Brig. Gen. Larry K. Grundhauser. percent or higher for basic qualification, instead of the previous accuracy require- NOMINATION: To be Lieutenant General: Ronnie D. Hawkins Jr. ment of 50 percent or better. SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE CHANGES: James J. Brooks, to Assoc. Dir., Strat. Plan- ning, DCS, Strat. Plans & Prgms., USAF, Pentagon ... Michael D. Petersen, to Asst. Audi- Evasion Training Center Opens tor General, Spt. & Personnel Audits, AF Audit Agency, Randolph AFB, Tex. ... Glenda H. A new $6 million survival training Scheiner, to Dep. Dir., Financial Mgmt., AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio ... Jeffrey H. facility opened for business at Lackland Stanley, to Dep. Dir., ISR & Rqmts., AFMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. n AFB, Tex., consolidating all USAF Eva- sion and Conduct After Capture training with it 280 personnel and their associ- The team managed to raise the to one location. ated equipment, officials announced in satellite to its functional orbit, without Overseen by instructors from Lack- October. depleting onboard fuel stores to the land’s 22nd Training Squadron, roughly No MQ-1 Predator or MQ-9 Reaper point of shortening its planned 14 6,000 students per year are expected to remotely piloted aircraft will be physi- years of mission life, according to pass through the new facility for special- cally assigned to any of the locations. USAF officials. ized predeployment preparation. Aircrew Instead, the selected base would host members still undergo survival training an RPA ground control station to operate Rifle Training Intensified at Fairchild AFB, Wash. Predator and Reaper drones forward Beginning this month, airmen can The facility incorporates an urban- located in places such as Afghanistan expect a longer, more challenging rifle evasion laboratory designed to train via satellite data link. course. Aimed at better preparing airmen airmen to overcome the unique chal- “These candidate bases will be ana- for deployments downrange, the new lenges of avoiding capture within the lyzed to determine which location will course is tailored with current combat confines of a city. best host this mission,” said Kathleen in mind. “When they leave this course, if they I. Ferguson, USAF’s deputy assistant Combatant commanders identified become isolated in any environment in secretary for installations. the need to move away from Cold War- any part of the world, they’ll have the skills The Air Force’s final base selection era qualification and “give our airmen necessary [to] adapt and overcome” the is slated for this month. quality training,” said MSgt. Scott Brown, threats around them, said TSgt. James US Air Forces in Europe combat arms Davis, the detachment’s ECAC course AEHF-1 Reaches Operational Perch program manager. manager. The Air Force’s first Advanced Ex- Requirements differ based on an Students going through the Combat tremely High Frequency military com- airmen’s specialty code and the course Skills Training Course and Basic Com- munications satellite finally achieved its varies in length from nine hours to 11 bat Convoy Course at nearby Camp intended orbit after more than a year of hours. Airmen in combat-focused Group Bullis also will train at the facility, which wandering. A career fields fire 280 rounds of am- opened Oct. 3. n AEHF-1 reached its perch on geo- munition, including a night shooting synchronous orbit Oct. 24. Shortly course aided by laser aiming devices, Patrolling the Skies: An F-15E takes after launch last August, the satellite illuminating scopes, and barrel-mount- off on a base defense mission from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Strike suffered a thruster malfunction which ed lamps. Eagles deployed to the 455th Air forced the Air Force and industry The majority of career fields, desig- Expeditionary Wing, such as this one minds to craft an alternate plan using nated Group B, now fire a 200-round from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., can different thrusters to boost the satellite course including semi-automatic and quickly provide a critical aerial base into position. three-round burst fire, combined with defense capability. USAF photo TSgt.by Matthew Hecht

18 AIR FORCE Magazine / December 2011