More than 180 airmen from Air Force Reserve Command’s 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., along with four of the unit’s KC-135 tankers, are taking part this month in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in and around Hawaii. US Pacific Command sponsors RIMPAC, a biennial, multinational, joint maritime event. The main contingent of Tinker Reservists will depart for Hickam AFB, Hawaii, on July 5. Additional airmen from the unit will arrive in mid-July to relieve others. “During previous [RIMPAC] exercises, we found our aircraft heavily engaged and flying three to four missions daily, refueling a variety of aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Gerald Malloy of the wing. This year, wing officials expect to surpass those totals. RIMPAC 2010 also marks the first-ever participation of Air Force C-17s in this exercise. (Tinker report by Lt. Col. Richard Curry)
The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.
