USAF bases—active and reserve—from the Florida panhandle to New Orleans worked to brace up their facilities to meet the emergency of Hurricane Katrina, the killer storm with 140+ mph winds coming ashore. Aircraft were moved to other locations and stop movement orders were issued (see DR, 8/30/05). Air Force Reserve Command’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler AFB, Miss., tracked Katrina for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The wing’s C-130s launched at regular intervals for 12-hour weather data missions.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
