The inaugural Air Force Week underway in the St. Louis metro area has activities planned through Aug. 13. Gen. Norton Schwartz, commander of US Transportation Command, CMSAF Rodney McKinley, and A1C Rebecca Blascak, with the 375th Airlift Wing at Scott AFB, Ill., kicked off the event with the ceremonial first pitch at the St. Louis Cardinals-Milwaukee Brewers game Sunday at Busch Stadium. Following the national anthem, two F-15 Eagles from the Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Fighter Wing at Lambert Field flew over the stadium. Other events scheduled include a film screening featuring “Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag” and appearances at the St. Louis Science Center by a NASA astronaut, an original Tuskegee airman, a Red Flag fighter pilot, and Thunderbird members, as well as additional flyovers by a variety of aircraft.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…