The airmen of the 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, recently completed the unit’s 2,500th combat sortie flying the EC-130H Compass Call for Operation Iraqi Freedom, ably supported by the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron’s Silver team, which covers the electronic attack aircraft. Airmen of both units are deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. Since the first OIF deployment for the 43rd EECS in March 2004, the unit has flown more than 17,500 combat hours. At most, the unit has had three aircraft in theater at a time. Lt. Col. Robert Stonemark, leader of the 43rd EECS, credited the “outstanding dedication, hard work, and selflessness on the part of maintainers, aircrew, and support troops.” (43rd ECCS report by MSgt. Max Rippel)
New approaches to testing Space Force equipment are speeding up delivery to operators, but the service needs more testers and perhaps its own space-focused test center, officials said April 1. Those are key pieces of the fledgling force’s testing methods and future moves that will keep new technology flowing into…