Airmen now are being trained to use dropsondes to collect weather data to help improve the accuracy of supply drops from high altitude. Air Force Reserve Command “Hurricane Hunters” have used dropsonde technology for years to help collect data on hurricanes for the National Hurricane Center. Using it in combat operations will enable airlift crews to get supplies closer to ground forces, keeping them safer, says Cap. Dale Stanley, a C-130 navigator. Recently, Air Mobility Command’s mobile training team was at Andersen AFB, Guam, training aircrews to use Global Positioning System-enabled dropsondes, reports journalist A1C David Clark.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.