Officials at Holloman AFB, N.M., inactivated the 46th Test Group, and then subsequently redesignated the organization as the 96th Test Group during a base ceremony. The name change on Oct. 1 is part of Air Force Material Command’s overall efficiency reshuffle. The group, which oversees Air Force testing at White Sands Missile Range, now reports to the 96th Test Wing at Eglin AFB, Fla. The wing stood up in July via the consolidation of Eglin’s 46th TW and 96th Air Base Wing; it falls under the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif. “When the new 96th Test Wing was activated, it was apparent that our tenant unit here would follow the new parent organization name change,” said Col. Charles Webb, 96th TG commander. The Holloman unit will continue its previous mission, according to an Oct. 3 base release. That includes flight testing weapons, evaluating navigation and guidance systems, and assessing radar cross sections. (Holloman report by A1C Colin Cates)
Lockheed Martin projects more than a billion dollars of losses on a classified program, but company officials said April 23 they are confident it will turn profitable by 2028 and become a "franchise" system in the U.S. military.