Airmen from the 9th Security Forces Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif., rescued pilots of a downed US aircraft from enemy forces during an exercise earlier this month, according to a base release. The mock rescue took place in a simulated village called Dragon Town, with Air Force contractors with real-world experience in recovery operations demonstrating proper movements, communication, and tactics to the security forces as they entered the village and engaged the enemy to retrieve the pilots, states the Oct. 18 release. During the Oct. 9 drill, an MC-12W aircraft provided the security forces with tactical reconnaissance, states the release. “Our defenders were able to utilize this cutting-edge technology just like they would in a deployed location,” said Capt. John Hart, 9th SFS commander. “Having the opportunity to simulate a scenario [that] our airmen may encounter downrange is time well spent,” added MSgt. Damien Larche, the 9th SFS noncommissioned officer in charge of training. (Beale report by SSgt. Robert M. Trujillo)
The U.S. Air Force is working on a test program with Japan to establish a joint maintenance center that will perform repairs on aircraft operated by both nations—creating a “deterrent effect that will make adversaries think twice,” a top general said.