The 53rd Test Evaluation Group’s Det. 1, called the Dragon Test Team, inactivated during a ceremony at Holloman AFB, N.M. “By law, whenever a weapon system is within five years of retirement, we stop conducting modifications and testing,” said Lt. Col. Rick Silong, Det. 1 commander. During its 24 years in service, the team tested F-117 stealth fighter’s software, hardware, weapon upgrades, platform survivability, and tactics to make sure the weapons worked every time. The inactivation means the detachment will close on a non-permanent basis in case the Air Force decides to stand up another unit of the same size and scope, Silong said.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.