US Transportation Command enlisted the help of USAF aerial porters to test a new Joint Modular Intermodal Distribution concept—a new means to deliver cargo to austere locations without the need for onsite materiel handling equipment, reports Maj. Chris Allen. Airmen of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J., helped show that cargo loaded on a modular intermodal platform could be loaded onto an aircraft and offloaded at an austere airstrip using a prototype tactical truck. Congress approved $36 million for TRANSCOM to explore the JMIDS technology, which could further reduce the number of convoys needed to deliver supplies to troops at remote locations in Southwest Asia.
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and allies and adversaries.
