The Air Force on Jan. 1 renamed the 480th Intelligence Wing at Langley AFB, Va., and the 70th IW at Fort George G. Meade, Md., as the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing and 70th ISR Wing. Further, the intelligence groups under these wings are now designated as ISR groups, the service said in a release yesterday. These moves are part of the ongoing transformation of the service’s ISR organizations that began in June 2007. “Throughout the transformation process, we have broadened our scope beyond signals intelligence to include all elements of ISR,” Maj. Gen. Craig Koziol, Air Force ISR Agency commander. He continued, “The renaming of our units to ISR solidifies our dedication to delivering the best trained forces and most effective capabilities and conducting integrated ISR operations for ground, air, space, and cyberspace missions.” Under the ISR changes, the agency is now a field operating agency of the Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR (A2) on the Air Staff.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…