During the latest Koa Lightning exercise, which featured B-52 bombers flying from Andersen AFB, Guam, to Hawaii, the bomber crews got to drop inert weapons on the Pele Bombing Range. TSgt. Steven Wilson reports that the aircrews received targeting information from joint terminal attack controllers on the ground. “Absolutely nothing beats dropping ordnance on a target in terms of training value, especially for our younger aircrews,” stated Col. Damian McCarthy, 36th Operations Group commander at Andersen. The bombers have been deployed to Andersen from Barksdale AFB, La.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.