The Air Force and Lockheed Martin have successfully completed site activations for the Sniper targeting pod with A-10C units at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and Spangdahlem AB, Germany, the company announced June 3. Further, site activation work is scheduled to continue this summer at Moody AFB, Ga., Lockheed said. The Sniper site activation process involves pod installation, maintenance, and aircrew training. It is meant to ensure that the maintainers are prepared to support the system fully in theater and that the aircrews are proficient with operating the pod and understanding its capabilities. Lt. Col. Michael Millen, commander of Davis-Monthan’s 354th Fighter Squadron, said the Sniper represents “a significant improvement in combat capability,” With it, the A-10Cs have “a quantum leap” in their ability to locate, identify, track, and defeat targets, he said, calling the A-10C and Sniper “an incredibly lethal combination.” Air Force F-16s and F-15Es carry the advanced pod and have used them in combat. So have B-1B bombers.
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…