Maj. William Gottenberg on March 9 returned from completing his 100th combat mission in the high-flying U-2 reconnaissance aircraft on a sortie over Southwest Asia. Gottenberg, who is deployed from Beale AFB, Calif., and switched from the RC-135 to the U-2 in 2005, said the time flying the U-2 at 70,000 feet “goes by really quickly once I get on station … interacting with guys on the ground providing them with actionable, near real-time intelligence.” Lt. Col. Kirt Stallings, commander of the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron from Beale, thanked Gottenberg, saying his “100 [combat] sorties in the U-2 is a big deal.” Gottenberg believes the U-2 “in the last three to four years … has revolutionized itself in how we employ it.” (380th Air Expeditionary Wing report by MSgt. Scott Sturkol)
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
