Combat Balloon Lifts Off: A host of combat experiments are under way this week during the 2006 Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment, including one that will employ balloons staged in “near space” to aid line-of-sight communications on the ground. Dubbed “Combat Skysat,” the program places a radio repeater-linked to a weather-type balloon in near space—the layer of the atmosphere between aircraft airspace and satellites. The repeater can “bounce” ground transmission, extending the range and making them clearer. The balloon takes about 20 minutes to launch and can stay in the air an average of 12 hours per flight.
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.