The 
58th Rescue Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., is adapting the Air Force’s GPS-guided Joint Precision Airdrop System to support combat rescue officers and pararescuemen in the field. “We’re currently in the initial phase of building a true precision airdrop capability for Air Force rescue,” said Maj. Jose Cabrera, 58th RQS operations director. JPADS can either steer rescue equipment to a pre-programmed point, or “a CRO or PJ jumping behind the package can control it” via a chest-mounted computer, explained SrA. Dalton Harper, 58th RQS equipment journeyman. “Whether we jump in tow with a guided equipment bundle, remotely control a re-supply bundle from the ground as the bundle falls from an aircraft, or simply airdrop a sustainment package to a downed airman while awaiting recovery,” the system revolutionizes rescuers’ ability to get the supplies they need almost anywhere, said Cabrera. (Nellis report by 1st. Lt. Laura Balch)
The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in a 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.
