Roughly a year’s time and $5 million have given Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System the new ability to track “dismounted targets,” combining this new ability with a dramatically expanded capacity to transmit Ground Moving Target Information to “customers” on the ground. According to a program update by contractor Northrop Grumman, Joint STARS aircraft are being upgraded under an urgent operational requirement, in response to irregular warfare requirements in Afghanistan. Northrop evaluated the E-8C’s extant radar, implementing minimal changes to software and detection thresholds, enabling it to track human-sized “dismounted” targets, as well as the larger vehicle-sized targets it was designed for. A new satellite data link augments this capacity with the ability to transmit GMTI via secure SIPRNET, cutting processing and dissemination from approximately 18 hours to near real-time availability.
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.