Airmen who maintain the ground radar systems at Balad AB, Iraq, enabling 24/7 air operations, must troubleshoot and repair more than 7,200 separate parts, says SSgt. Tyler Hand, ground radar systems supervisor for the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. These parts range from coolant systems to motors and microelectronics. He told Air Force journalist SSgt. Alice Moore: “Our radar is the looking glass through which the air missions are coordinated. We can’t afford to perform inspections and system alignments half-heartedly.”
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…