Boeing has delivered a new A-10 simulator and upgraded another for the Warthog force at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, giving the 81st Fighter Squadron pilots the ability to fly local two-ship missions and connect to USAF’s distributed mission network, not to mention a real-world weather affect and 360-degree screen. (Spangdahlem report by SSgt. Logan Tuttle) n Members of the 563rd Rescue Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., got to train earlier this month on the set-up and operation of the one-and-only rapidly deployable Rescue Operations Center, which will enable rescue units to command and control rescue operations in an austere environment; it employs Base X mobile units that 10-15 people can configure to fit available space in about 20 minutes. (Davis-Monthan report by TSgt. Kerry Jackson) n Work with light and matter by Dr. Lene Hau, a physicist funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Science Foundation, and NASA, will provide advances in computing, optical networks, and quantum cryptography that will provide scientists and engineers working in these areas greater control over information processing. (AFOSR report by Maria Callier)
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.