Airmen with the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany, participated in a one-day NATO training exercise in the Baltic region. C-130Js from the unit conducted a tactical off-load at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania, according to a Ramstein release. This is an all-weather, all-terrain method of delivering supplies, like humanitarian aid, quickly on the ground. The C-130J’s engines remain running and the aircraft takes off once the cargo is offloaded. A NATO E-3 AWACS aircraft from Geilenkirchen, Germany, also participated in the Nov. 3 exercise. The airborne assets interacted with NATO air command and control facilities in Uedem, Germany, and Karmelava, Lithuania. This Baltic region training event was part of NATO’s broader Baltic air policing mission under which NATO fighters protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.