Airmen with the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Robins AFB, Ga., are working with Raytheon technicians on a three-year, $4.6 million project to replace rocket motors on some 690 AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile. They are swapping motors from A models to B and C models because the B and C engines have a “mild defect” and they are nearing the end of their 10.5 year service life. Unlike the earlier A model, the B and C missiles are programmable so can take necessary software upgrades. The team expects to complete the first 360 missiles this fiscal year.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.