The Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield welcomed the first two of eight C-130Hs that it is taking on as part of a mission switch, according to a unit release. The two aircraft, formerly flown by the Alaska Air Guard, touched down at the Mansfield Lahm Airport on May 24, states the release. The wing is losing its four C-27J airplanes in this fiscal year as part of the Air Force’s divestiture of the C-27 fleet. In their place, it will receive the eight C-130s, along with nearly 200 extra personnel. All eight of the C-130s are slated to be in place by June 2016, according to unit officials. (Mansfield report by SSgt. Joseph Harwood)
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.…