In l
ate summer, USAF’s E-8 Joint STARS force surpassed 20,000 combat hours covering operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, Air Force journalist TSgt. Steve Staedler reports that the three Joint STARS squadrons from Robins AFB, Ga., flying 90-day rotations, have amassed more than 20,000 hours over Iraq alone since operations began in 2003. The 12th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron actually flew the milestone mission on Nov. 30, 2006. That 20K equates to 833 days of flying.
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
