Airmen at Air Force Distributed Common Ground System locations across the globe conducted Sentinel Focus, a week-long rigorous look at their operations during real-world activity to highlight areas for improvement. “Our goal [with this evaluation] is to enhance cooperation between various intelligence entities by enhancing a culture of collaboration to share best practices and lessons learned,” said Col. Jeffrey Kruse, commander of the 480th ISR Wing at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., that oversees DCGS and led the twice-annual evaluation. According to a Nov. 2 Langley release, Sentinel Focus had four main objectives: document areas requiring operational standardization; identify the effectiveness of tactics; capture lessons learned and best practices for integration of recently fielded ISR platforms, such as the MC-12W; and assess the development of ongoing operational relationships with British coalition partners. DCGS is a globally networked system that provides near-real-time intelligence to battlefield commanders. (Langley report by Marge McGlinn)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.