US Strategic Command has taken command and control responsibility for the Wideband Global SATCOM-2, the second new communications satellite that USAF placed in orbit in early April. Air Force Space Command’s 3rd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo., will continue day-to-day support for WGS-2, under the operational control of the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The 3rd SOPS, part of the 50th Space Wing at Schriever, took control of the Boeing-built satellite on Aug. 18 from the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., which had picked up WGS-2 from Boeing on June 15 after on-orbit and ground system checkouts. Boeing is building one more Block 1 WGS and three Block 2 versions. The WGS series are the first to provide Ka-band communications for operations in Southwest Asia. (SMC release; Schriever release)
New B-52 Radar Makes First Flight
Dec. 12, 2025
The Air Force’s radar modernization effort for the B-52 Stratofortress entered flight testing recently, a “milestone” for the once over-budget system that senior leaders call the start of a new era for the Cold War bomber.
