Some 130 Air National Guardsmen from Virginia Beach are being called to active duty for 10 months to deploy to various bases in Southwest Asia. Various news reports said the Virginia ANG’s 203rd RED HORSE engineering unit would undergo refresher training at Camp Pendleton, Va. The unit plans to deploy in two groups, the first leaving next week and the next in mid-October.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.