Four Australians just attended the National Security Space Institute’s Space Fundamentals Course in Colorado Springs, Colo., reports Capt. Catie Hague. The Royal Australian Air Force attendees included two radar operators, an intelligence officer, and one academic. Australia is just beginning to enter the space arena; currently the country does not have orbiting satellites, according to the “academic,” RAAF Squadron Leader Roger Halford. He noted, “We are here on a three-month tour because our country wants to get more involved in space.”
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.