Members of the 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo., on Wednesday took command and control of GPS IIF-1, the Air Force’s first Global Positioning System Block IIF satellite. “We are excited to have the privilege of being the first to control the next generation in global positioning satellite technology,” said Lt. Col. Jennifer Grant, 2nd SOPS commander. These satellite operators assumed responsibility for the spacecraft from airmen with the GPS Wing at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., who oversaw it during its on-orbit checkout following its May 27 launch. Earlier this month, the Air Force announced that IIF-1 had reached its designated operational orbital station. Boeing is building 12 Block IIF satellites for the Air Force. Compared to earlier GPS satellite models, they feature a more robust military signal, improved accuracy, and new civil signal. (Schriever release)
The Pentagon is significantly bolstering airpower near Venezuela, dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America, it said in an Oct. 24 statement. The announcement came just hours after U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and other U.S. assets flew near the Venezuelan coast on Oct. 23.
