Sentinel Focus 10B, the next evaluation of the Air Force’s Distributed Common Ground System, begins Sunday and runs for five days. This event marks the third time that the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB, Va., will inspect DCGS processes during real-world operations to gauge how well the system is supporting warfighters. DCGS has nodes worldwide where intelligence analysts evaluate overhead imagery and electronic signals and then disseminate intelligence products to the front lines. This SF will explore 15 operational issues, including how effective Air National Guardsmen are being utilized and the ability to transfer information to British allies. (Langley report by Marge McGlinn) (For more background on DCGS, see ISR Revolution from the June issue of Air Force Magazine.)
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.