Hurricane Rita SAR Mission Goes on Standby: Air Force search and rescue crews working relief efforts after Hurricane Rita have stopped flying pre-planned sorties to find victims, but they are still waiting in the wings should they be needed. The Air Force SAR force, which includes nine HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and three HC-130s aerial refuelers, flew 23 sorties, making nine life-saving rescues, as of Sept. 26. USAF drew the crews and equipment from Air Force Special Operations Command’s 347th Rescue Wing, Moody AFB, Ga., Air Force Reserve Command’s 920th RW, Patrick AFB, Fla., as well as airmen from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and Nellis AFB, Nev.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…