A civil rescue helicopter crew called for help from the 55th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., when it couldn’t reach a stranded and injured teenage hiker. The airmen were preparing for a night training sortie when they got the call and responded within an hour to the rescue area, where an HH-60 Pave Hawk lowered a pararescue jumper. The PJ secured the teenage boy, who was at a medical center for treatment within three hours after the initial request for help, reports journalist SrA. Michael Hess.
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.