Candace Lynch, a senior Air Force Research Lab scientist at Hanscom AFB, Mass., has received the 2010 Harold Brown Award for her “breakthrough research” in improving aircraft self-protection. “Lynch’s technology breakthrough is not only a national asset, but a testament to her dedication to science with a focus on national security,” said David Jerome, director of AFRL’s sensors directorate at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Lynch applied gallium arsenide laser technology to an infrared countermeasure device to improve an aircraft’s ability to defend itself from heat-seeking missiles. This technology also has future applications in imaging systems that enable helicopter pilots to see through brownout conditions, according to Air Force officials. The award, named after Harold Brown, former Air Force Secretary and Defense Secretary, recognizes research and development leading to “substantial improvement in operational effectiveness of the US Air Force.” (SAF/PA report by TSgt. Amaani Lyle)
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.