Boeing will begin production of the seventh Wideband Global Satcom spacecraft, WGS-7, under a $182 million contract that the Air Force announced Thursday. These funds will cover “the necessary items” to begin the satellite’s manufacture, according to USAF’s contract announcement, which appeared in the Pentagon’s major contracts list for Aug. 19. WGS-7 is expected to be in the Block II configuration as WGS-4, -5, and -6. WGS satellites provide military communications to US and allied forces worldwide. The first three WGS spacecraft are Block I satellites already on orbit. The Air Force just recently disclosed that WGS-3 has commenced operational service. WGS-4, -5, and -6 are planned for launch in 2012 and 2013.
The Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Air Refueling Group recently put together what may be a first of its kind in the Air Force: a training program that teaches KC-135 tanker crews how to perform specialized fueling operations (SFO): ground-based procedures that could help gas up military aircraft in a…