Abundant lightning strikes are keeping California battling widespread wildfires and seeking help from Air Force firefighting aircraft, including the North Caroline Air National Guard we reported yesterday and Air Force Reserve Command’s modular airborne firefighting C-130s from Colorado. According to a June 25 release from US Northern Command, NORTHCOM has dispatched two AFRC MAFF-equipped C-130H3s from Peterson AFB, Colo., and a Defense Coordinating Element and is coordinating the Air Guard MAFF support to fight some 668 wildfires in California. “We are working with our interagency partners to support the State of California in any way we can,” said NORTCOM boss Gen. Gene Renuart.
The Space Force is looking for industry feedback on its plans to create a new “Mission Development Zone” at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., to support launch providers with space for additional payload processing capacity, test and assembly facilities, and potentially rocket and spacecraft manufacturing infrastructure.