JEFX To Build a Better CAOC: Engineers at Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., are testing the Combined Air Operations Center of the near future at Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2006. The ESC personnel are responsible for standing up all the systems in the JEFX effort, which extends to 50 sites across the continental US, according to Lt. Col. Martin Kendrick, the JEFX systems program manager. ESC is overseeing a host of new hardware and software undergoing trial runs during the experiment—whatever proves out will go to the field. Without JEFX, the Air Force would have a “bunch of bright ideas that all sound great and look great but they may not be effective,” said Col. David Madden, the 753rd Electronic Systems Group commander.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.