The 601st Air and Space Operations Center at Tyndall AFB, Fla., recently hosted a first-of-its-kind virtual tour of its operations floor for students at Collinsville Middle School in Collinsville, Okla. The tour began with a welcome video introducing the class to the AOC’s mission, followed by a live tour where students were able to interact with AOC members, according to a July 3 Tyndall release. It was the first such tour for any of the Air Force’s AOCs, said Col. Randy Spear, 601st AOC commander. “We are living in an age where [quick response] codes and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are a part of our everyday vernacular. Virtual tours via the Internet just seemed like a natural progression and a very effective way to tell our story,” he said. Sixth grade teacher Kathy Prickett said the virtual tour was “an awesome experience” that she hopes to repeat again next year. (Tyndall report by Capt. Jared Scott)
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…