The Air Force and the United Launch Alliance successfully launched the last of the Navy’s constellation of five Mobile User Objective System satellites that provide improved on-the-move communications for the joint forces on the land, sea, and in the air. The Lockheed Martin-produced MUOS-5 satellite was launched into orbit aboard an ULA Atlas V launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., on June 24, completing the Navy program, according to an Air Force release. The MUOS satellites carry a dual payload, with one component providing an advanced broadband capacity for secure voice, video, and data transmission and the other an expansion of the legacy Ultra High Frequency network. MUOS-5’s UHF payload will be active but the broadband component will serve as a spare in case of a loss of one of the four other satellites.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training mission in Michigan on Sept. 17. The fighter's sole pilot ejected and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
