An E-3 airborne warning and control system aircraft from the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., was damaged while landing Aug. 28 at Nellis AFB, Nev., while participating in the Red Flag 09-05 air combat training exercise. The 32-person crew safely evacuated the aircraft, and a subsequent fire was quickly extinguished by emergency response forces, Nellis officials said. The AWACS was returning from a mission when the mishap occurred. The Air Force is convening a board to investigate the incident. Red Flag 09-05 began Aug. 24 and goes through Friday. (Nellis report by Charles Ramey)
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.…