The House Armed Services Committee wants to speed up JSTARS recapitalization, it makes clear in a report on its version of the National Defense Authorization Act. The committee “encourages” Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James to develop a plan, with incentives in the JSTARS recapitalization Engineering and Manufacturing Development and procurement contracts, to “accelerate the development, procurement, and fielding” of the JSTARS recapitalization project. Included in the report is a request for James to brief HASC by Dec. 1 on the recapitalization; at that hearing, she must present one option for accelerating initial operational capability to Fiscal 2022 and another option for accelerating IOC to Fiscal 2023. Right now, IOC is expected in 2024, though it has been pushed back multiple times. The HASC version of the NDAA also prohibits the retirement of any JSTARS aircraft in 2018. (See also: The JSTARS Recap from the February 2015 issue of Air Force Magazine.)
Ramstein Airmen, C-130Js Deploy to Poland for Training
Oct. 20, 2020
About 85 Airmen and three C-130J aircraft from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, are supporting Aviation Detachment Rotation 21.1, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa spokesperson Tech Sgt. Rachel Waller told Air Force Magazine in an Oct. 20 email. These rotations consist of exercises and…