A New Kingpin in Town:

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Airmen from the 728th Air Control Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., are controlling aircraft over Iraq, operating the center known as Kingpin at Balad AB, Iraq. It’s not the unit’s first time. Last year, the Eglin crew “surveyed, identified, and controlled more than 166,000 aircraft” from May to September, reports journalist Maj. Damien Pickart. Enlisted surveillance and weapons directors and air weapons officers control the action from within mobile operation modules, packed with computers and communications equipment.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org