Tactical Air Control Party airmen will soon have new equipment that will make it easier for them to guide close air support strikes quickly, accurately, and safely. The small wearable computer, or SWC, fits into a pouch in a TACP’s body armor. Weighing in at only two pounds, it is more compact than the eight-pound laptops that these airmen now carry. The new device will allow them to operate more freely on dismounted patrols in the tough terrain of Afghanistan, according to officials at Hanscom AFB, Mass., who are involved in its development. The Air Force will field SWC once TACP close air support system software version 1.4.2 comes online. Airmen are currently training with the software. “It helps TACPs get aircraft on target faster and reduces the probability of human error,” said Rob Bubello, TACP modernization program manager. (Hanscom report by Chuck Paone)
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.