J Model Gets the Works in Tactical Test: The Air Force has been putting the C-130J through more field testing, utilizing the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft. Polk, La. Airmen from Little Rock AFB, Ark., conducted the joint training, making dirt strip landings and cargo air drops and working with soldiers during engine-running cargo offloads—sometimes attacked by simulated mortar shells. During the high-operations tempo, 24-hours surges, the Little Rock aircrews flew 15 sorties a day—under the watchful eyes of Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center personnel from Edwards AFB, Calif.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…