Gen. Kevin Chilton formally assumed command of Air Force Space Command during a ceremony June 26 at Peterson AFB, Colo., home to AFSPC headquarters. Chilton, who succeeds now-retired Gen. Lance Lord, is the first former astronaut to earn a fourth star, which he pinned on just before the change of command. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, who presided at the ceremony, told Chilton, “You know air and space power first hand; you understand the needs, the nuances of command and you know the challenges ahead of us as an air and space force.” Chilton spoke of the command’s uniqueness, in that every operational unit is “CHOP’d” to the head of US Strategic Command, the nation’s combatant commander for space. Said Chilton of his new personnel, “We are in the fight, 24/7, 365 days of the year.”
BAE Systems has received a contract from Lockheed Martin to install an upgraded Block 4 electronic warfare system into new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, as well as to retrofit some older jets.
