The first and only USAF C-130 squadron based in the Southwest Asia theater has one airlifter that is hauling not supplies but a communications suite to provide better communications capability for ground convoys. Personnel from all the services operate the Joint Airborne Command and Control Command Post—or Jackpot to squadron members—which fits into the back of a 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron C-130 and relays communications. Officials say the Jackpot system, in the few weeks it has flown, has gotten praise from ground commanders.
Today’s armament maintainers are tasked with performing flightline (O-Level) maintenance with an assortment of legacy test sets that greatly limit the ability to quickly and efficiently verify armament system readiness, diagnose failures, and ultimately return the aircraft to full mission...