Air Force Space Command accepted four new satellite remote tracking antennas operated by the 22nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo., for real-world use. The command’s operational acceptance came on Jan. 29, following a period of testing and operations, states a Feb. 6 Schriever release. The new antennas are located at New Boston AFS, N.H.; RAF Oakhanger, England; Guam Tracking Station on Guam; and Kaena Point, Hawaii. They are known as Remote Tracking Station Block Change, or RBC, antennas. They are part of the Air Force Satellite Control Network, a series of ground stations around the world that allow satellite operators to communicate with satellites on orbit. “They are significant upgrades to our legacy ground system,” said Brian Bayless, the squadron’s AFSCN integration chief. The new RBC equipment, the first antenna upgrade to the remote tracking stations since 1987, can track an orbiting satellite during its entire pass over a tracking station, states the release. (Schriever report by Scott Prater)
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
