The Air Force inactivated Antigua Air Station, which has served as one of the primary range and control instrument sites for space and launch vehicle tracking support, during a July 7 ceremony on the island, according to a July 13 USAF release. “Mission requirements for space and launch vehicle tracking support were reviewed, and we discovered that we are able to provide the necessary capabilities with mission design changes and use of the telemetry system on Ascension,” said Lt. Col. Steve Melvin, commander of Det. 1. The C-Band Radar will be relocated to the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications Station in Australia where it will be integrated into the US Space Surveillance Network. “The resulting increase in battlespace awareness due to the location in Australia will provide the warfighter with predictive and actionable situational awareness through early detection of launches at a lower inclination than previously available,” added Melvin. The air station cost more than $10 million US dollars each year to operate, states the release.
B-21 Temporary Shelters Could Also Shelter B-2s
March 5, 2021
The Air Force's experimental runway shelter for the new B-21 bomber is large enough to cover it or the B-2, and therefore reveals no information about the dimensions of the new aircraft. Two such shelters will be evaluated, but the maker of the second version hasn't been chosen, yet.