...Along with the attrition rate, (click here) the Air Force is facing a projected shortfall of incoming rated officers for both manned and unmanned aircraft, said Lt. Col. Stuart Rubio, chief of rated force policy. By October, the service expects to be short 227 rated accessions, including pilots, combat systems officers and air battle managers.
“This is much more than an RPA issue and, whether or not it is an anomaly or the beginning of a trend, we are actively addressing it with the creation of the Accessions Strategy Working Group,” Rubio said in an email.
Hoagland also points out that fewer unmanned aircraft pilots are promoted to major than fighter, bomber and mobility pilots, but Rubio said the Air Force has begun to address the disparity by opening 49 slots at Squadron Officer School to unmanned aircraft pilots....
When rescue missions are the focus the American military does a remarkable job. They should be congratulated for being an asset to the firefighters on the ground. Waiting for water vapor to arrive proved to be one of the most daunting missions for everyone. Thank you.
...Since being activated on June 11,(click here) MAFFS crews have flown 572 missions and made 535 drops with a total of 1,375,981 gallons of fire retardant on fires in Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, California and Nevada, according to U.S. Northern Command.
Most recently, five C-130s — two from the Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.; one from the North Carolina’s 145th Airlift Wing and two from the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing — had been fighting the rim fire. As of Sept. 5, the Rim Fire had burned almost 240,000 acres and was about 80 percent contained.
The C-130s joined a firefighting force of more than 5,100 firefighters, along with helicopters and modified DC-10 airliners....
