The Eastern Range, operated by the 45th Space Wing, Patrick AFB, Fla., is the beneficiary of a $40 million communications upgrade, courtesy of the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. The new Post Detection Telemetry Subsystem digitizes, manages, and transports critical range safety and range user telemetry data to the Range Operations Control Center and to payload and launch vehicle customers, say SMC officials. The effort required two years of work, but officials say it transformed the once rigid legacy system into one that is customizable that “greatly reduces bandwidth requirements” and operational costs.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.