11252019 Hurlburt

Hurlburt, Local Agencies End Active Search for Missing Airman

The Air Force and other local emergency services on Nov. 22 suspended the active search for SSgt. Cole Condiff, the special tactics airman who fell into the Gulf of Mexico from a C-130 on Nov. 5. For more than two weeks, USAF aircraft, airmen, and other agencies maintained a 24-hour operation searching the area for Cole. This included underwater sonar scanning, dive operations, land patrols, and airborne surveillance in an area from Destin to Pensacola in Florida.
Travis’ 60th APS has first experience with KC-46

KC-46 Cargo Fix Expected to Be Complete by March

The Air Force expects to start installing a fix to the problem that is restricting the KC-46 from carrying passengers and cargo next month, once the proposed step finishes Federal Aviation Administration certification. The service in September announced this newest “category one” deficiency on the tanker, centered on defective locks that hold cargo and passenger seats in place in the cargo bay. Once certified, the service plans to retrofit two aircraft per week with a projected completion date in March.
The 386th welcomes new commander

Grynkewich Named CENTCOM’s Director of Operations

Maj. Gen. (frocked) Alexus G. Grynkewich, the deputy commander of operations and intelligence for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, has been appointed the director of operations for US Central Command, the Pentagon announced. Grynkewich previously served as deputy director for global operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, and in 2016 headed up the Air Force’s first Enterprise Capability Collaboration Team, scrutinizing Next-Generation Air Dominance. He has served as the 53rd Wing commander at Eglin AFB, Fla., and was also the deputy wing commander for the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB, Nev. Grynkewich has flown more than 2,300 hours in more than a dozen aircraft, including F-22s, F-16s, and remotely piloted aircraft.
Air University Assumption of Command

Hecker Takes Command of Air University

Lt. Gen. James Hecker recently received his third star and took over as commander and president of Air University during a Nov. 22 ceremony at Maxwell AFB, Ala. Hecker was previously the vice director of operations for the Joint Staff, and before that he ran air operations in Afghanistan. He replaces Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton, who left the position in October to become the deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Forces Strategic-Air at Barksdale AFB, La.

Radar Sweep

Smith, Engel Concerned about Open Skies Treaty

Inside Defense

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) are worried about the future of the Open Skies Treaty and whether the Trump administration plans to withdraw from the pact.

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What It Takes to Turn a Vintage F-16 into a Drone

Wired

When the US Air Force launched the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1979, it had something no other military jet did: a computer. Four, actually. Their electrical signals commanded the aircraft instead of gears and pulleys, ushering aerial combat into the digital era. Now, after fighting in the Gulf and Iraq wars, some of these 49-foot supersonic jets are speeding toward an autonomous future. Believe it or not—we don't blame you for thinking the buttons in this cockpit couldn't belong to a droid—they've been retooled and given (short) new lives as drones.