Airmen from Air Force Special Operations Command, headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Fla., who specialize in setting up bare base airfield operations have deployed to help the devastated New Orleans get Louis Armstrong International Airport up and running, the Air Force said late Wednesday. An MC-130 flew a team of combat controllers and medics to the airport to reopen the runway. The airport has no electricity or air traffic control capability, so the CCT planned to set up a portable light system and portable air traffic radios to direct humanitarian flights. The command has also sent 19 HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and 11 C-130 aircraft—helo refuelers and other special ops types—to Jackson, Miss., to support relief efforts and search and rescue operations.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.