Members of the Air Force’s newest stealth force—those now or soon-to-be operating and maintaining the F-22 Raptor—gathered at Whiteman AFB, Mo., earlier this week to consult with their stealth brethren of the B-2 bomber world. At the B-2 and F-22 Integration Conference, airmen from Eglin AFB, Fla., Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Holloman AFB, N.M., Langley AFB, Va., Nellis AFB, Nev., and Whiteman gathered to discuss how best to integrate the two stealth aircraft. Col. Thomas Bussiere, leader of the 509th Operations Group at Whiteman, said: The way of the future is low observable. And, there are no two greater platforms on the planet than the F-22 and B-2, so now is the time for us to refine our operational tactics and be ready when the phone rings to execute.” Col. James Hecker, 3rd OG boss at Elmendorf, agreed, adding that “We are also getting some insider help as far as maintenance. … We are getting lessons learned on problems that we thought were new to us [F-22 force], which just so happens to be things you [B-2 force] have been dealing with for a while.” (Whiteman report by A1C Stephen Linch)
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.…