The Displaced Airmen Pick Up Their Schooling: Officials at Sheppard AFB, Tex., said they have begun an electronics principles course for the airmen who were forced to leave their technical training program behind when they were evacuated from Keesler AFB, Miss., because of Hurricane Katrina. It would normally take six months to a year to set up a new course, but the Sheppard team cranked this one up in two weeks, according to MSgt. Rosa Marlin, a flight chief with the 365th Training Squadron. The fit was natural, since Sheppard serves as a follow-on to Keesler for electronics training. The new course is being taught in two shifts each day, with 40 airmen in each shift. Airmen fresh from basic training in Texas, who would normally be sent to Keesler are being sent to Sheppard for this course, as well.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.