The Government Accountability Office says the problems with NPOESS could produce at least a three-year gap in vital weather coverage. Such a gap, asserts Boehlert, puts American lives at risk. NOAA’s answer: They might delay launch of the last legacy satellite; if it fails, well, the agency is looking into that. Sega says that DOD would employ spaceborne and airborne platforms to provide weather data and, possibly, a service life extension for current DMSP satellites.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.