Army and Air Force Open Up Comm:
Soldiers recently completing their technical training at Ft. Gordon, Ga., got to talk to Air Force C-130s flying overhead as they trained to conduct and recover air drops. A training exercise with AFRC’s 700th Airlift Squadron from Dobbins ARB, Ga., marked the first time the Army has communicated with the Air Force in a training scenario at the Ft. Gordon training. The airmen and soldiers simulated an aerial operation where a pair of aircraft performed an aerial resupply mission to a forward base, according to Army Lt. Col. Michael Shillinger, the 551st Signal Battalion commander. He added that he hopes to have soldiers participating in joint communications training by the end of May, saying that a lot of progress was made in early exercises but more needs to be done.
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.