The modernization of USAF’s C-130 fleet with new avionics requires USAF flight test crews to go back to school. Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB, Calif., are undergoing two weeks’ worth of training at the Long Beach, Calif., facility of Boeing, prime contractor for the Avionics Modernization Program. They are qualifying to test the new hardware and software via a combination of classroom and simulator work. The entire AMP project reportedly covers all older C-130s—except the E model—flown by active, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command crews.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
