Air Force Reserve Command’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s Hurricane Hunters tracked a tropical disturbance off the coast of Georgia May 9, although the 2007 hurricane season doesn’t “officially” start until June 1. The hunters used the latest WC-130J Hercules with a Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer to measure wind speed and rainfall at sea level, which provides “more precise forecasting of the severity and direction of storms, states a Lockheed Martin release. Lockheed is in the process of installing the SFMR on all 10 of the squadron’s J models. The unit expects to have another SFMR-equipped Herk by the end of June, followed by one per month.
AETC Adds Human Performance Layer to UPT 2.5
Feb. 26, 2021
Air Education and Training Command has incorporated a focus on human performance optimization—which includes personal resilience, health, fitness, diet, and mental performance—into its Undergraduate Pilot Training 2.5 program, 19th Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Craig D. Wills said at the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.