The 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, Britain, is working 14 civilian contractors in 24-hour shifts, six days a week, to modify the wing’s F-15s in preparation for September deployment to Southwest Asia. The deploying fighters are getting fitted with advanced processors, software, and improved imagery, and munitions capabilities. According to MSgt. Byron Parsons, wing avionics manager, the newly installed advanced display core processors are the key to enabling the fighter’s to make full use of their Link-16 imagery system. The speed of the new processor and updated software let the Link-16 converse with unmanned aerial vehicles, E-3 AWACS aircraft, or a ground-pounder.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
