Proposed changes to the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex near Fairbanks would open two exercise areas to low altitude training as low as 500 feet, according to officials at Eielson AFB, Alaska. “This will allow relevant training for pilots who will eventually employ these skills downrange in support of future air operations,” 353rd Combat Training Squadron Operations Director Lt. Col. Dennis Lincoln said in an April 9 release. The putative changes are part of overall efforts to update JPARC to meet the future training needs of fifth generation aircraft, such as the F22 and F-35. Flying is currently limited to altitudes between 5,000 feet and 18,000 feet in the Fox 3 sector, while the current hard-deck is fixed at 18,000 feet in the Paxon sector. Under the proposed changes both sectors would be expanded to 500-feet to 18,000 feet, with Paxon only being used at low altitudes during Red Flag Alaska or major exercises.
B-21 Raider First Flight Now Postponed to 2023
May 20, 2022
The Air Force says the B-21 Raider won't make its first flight until 2023; about a six-month delay from the last official estimates. No reason was given for the delay. While other programs have recently chalked up schedule slips to supply chain and labor shortages, the Air Force has said…