Pacific Air Forces’ C-17 demo team is participating in the Aero India 2013 air show this week in Bangalore, India. The team departed JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Jan. 31, according to a Feb. 1 base release. The team is scheduled to perform for the more than 250,000 expected attendees during the show, which runs from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10. The airmen will showcase the C-17’s capabilities, executing high-angle takeoffs, high-speed passes, low-speed configured passes, 360-degree maneuvers, and an assault landing, states the release. A media flight and ground static display will round out the team’s participation. “Ultimately, we attend Aero India to show support for India,” said Maj. Kenneth Kirkpatrick, PACAF demo team lead from Hickam’s 535th Airlift Squadron. “However, it doesn’t hurt to show our enemies what we can do and that the Air Force is present. I think seeing our aircraft capability in action is definitely good for deterrence,” he added. The United States has been participating in Aero India since 2005; it’s the largest tradeshow of its kind in India, states the release. (Hickam report by SSgt. Terri Barriere)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
