The 86th Contingency Response Group from Ramstein AB, Germany, has 15 airmen on the ground in Tbilisi, Georgia, to maintain aerial port operations for the regularly arriving flights of US humanitarian aid. Since flights began, the US forces have delivered more than 200 short tons of relief supplies. US European Command is coordinating the airlift, which has included USAF C-17s and C-130s and a US Navy C-9, which made its first delivery on Aug. 18. (Includes 3rd Air Force report; AFPS report by John Kruzel; Navy report by Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker)
The Pentagon is considering ditching the Air Force’s plan to buy the E-7 Wedgetail as it looks to outsource the airborne target-tracking mission to space, defense officials indicated this week.