The 374th Medical Group at Yokota AB, Japan, received the Air Force’s first zero-gravity treadmill, designed by AlterG of Fremont, Calif., incorporating NASA-developed technology. The high-tech machine can help speed an airman’s recovery process following an injury or surgery to a lower extremity, such as a knee, ankle, or foot. The user steps into a bubble skirt in which the air pressure can be adjusted to gently lift the user to varying degrees to counter the user’s body weight. “It’s a great tool to help really see people progress through rehab at a shorter period of time,” said Maj. Jeremy Skabelund, 374th Surgical Operations Squadron physical medicine element chief. The American Red Cross donated the treadmill as part of its military outreach program. Yokota officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the treadmill on May 11 (Yokota report by A1C Katrina R. Menchaca)
The F-47 fighter will be run differently than previous fighter programs and share the same mission systems architecture as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. That means advances in one will fuel advances in the other.