The 45th Space Wing at Patrick AFB, Fla., aided NASA on the launch of the space shuttle Discovery Tuesday by providing weather forecasts, helping to organize and train DOD contingency response forces, and tracking the shuttle’s trajectory using radar and other equipment via its Eastern Range, reports Ken Warren. The 45th SW boss, Brig. Gen. Susan Helms, said the Eastern Range is “a national treasure.”
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.