Airmen at RAF Mildenhall, England, are preparing Turkish KC-135 crews to operate with an upgraded Global Air Traffic Management system that the Turkish air force is introducing on its tankers at the end of this month. Mildenhall KC-135s have used this system since 2004, but the two-week course marks the first time that members of the 373rd Training Squadron Detachment 19 have trained allied forces on the system. Divided between classroom work and hands-on exercises aboard the KC-135, the course is aiding technicians to “easily get used to the aircraft and maintain it,” noted a Turkish captain. This training is “crucial to assisting Turkey accomplish this multi-million-dollar program in a timely manner,” said Bud Brooks, attached to USAF’s Security Assistance Training Squadron at Lackland AFB, Tex. GATM equipment allows aircraft to travel safely in increasingly crowded worldwide airspace. (Mildenhall report by Karen Abeyasekere)
Walking the flight line occupied by Blackhawk attack helicopters and American troops on rotation at the “MK” air base in Romania, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III highlighted the important strategic value of one of NATO’s newest members Oct. 20 ahead of NATO defense ministerial meetings in Brussels Oct. 21-22.…