First unmanned QF-16 flight takes place

A QF-16 full scale aerial target from the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron takes off on its first unmanned flight at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Sept. 19, 2013. The 82nd ATRS operates the Department of Defense’s only full-scale aerial target program. The QF-16 will provide a fourth generation fighter representation of real world threats . (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Javier Cruz) (Photo by Staff Sgt. Javier Cruz)

By 2nd Lt. Andrea Valencia, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- The QF-16 full scale aerial target's inaugural unmanned flight occurred Sept. 19.

The 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron and Boeing Co. conducted the flight, which is the first step in a two year process to phase out the QF-4 full scale aerial target.

"The QF-4 did a good job for many years, but it's time to turn the page in the aerial target program. This program will bring us into the 4th generation aircraft," said Lt. Col. Ryan Inman, the 82nd ATRS commander. "And will provide us with a mission capable, very sustainable aerial target to take us into the next 10 to 20 years."

A pilot performed all normal preflight checks before climbing out of the cockpit and locking the canopy from the outside. Control was then turned over to Thomas Mudge, a 82nd ATRS pilot controller, sitting in a control room on the opposite side of base. The QF-16 took off at 3 p.m. for an hour long mission profile including take off, conducting a series of simulated maneuvers and reaching supersonic speeds before returning to base and landing.

"The flight itself went very well," Mudge said. "Its performance and abilities are great and we're looking forward to this airplane."

The first QF-16 was delivered to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., in November 2012 for operational and developmental testing to ensure their viability for aerial targets. The QF-16 is a supersonic reusable full-scale aerial target modified from an F16 Fighting Falcon. The emergence of U.S. 5th generation fighters such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning means American forces need an advanced target, similar to what they would actually find on the battle field.

"It takes it to the next generation, which now provides the shooters an aircraft that is completely a replication of current real world situations," Inman said. "The new targets will allow the Air Force and allied nations to have a realistic understanding of what they could face."

With successful testing at Tyndall AFB complete, the targets will be now move to Holloman AFB, N.M., to begin testing on an air-to-ground system. They will be part of live-fire testing before being sent back to Tyndall AFB for operation.

The 82nd ATRS is part of the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, which falls under the 53rd Wing at Eglin AFB, Fla. The unit operates the Department of Defense's only full-scale aerial target program, which provides Air Force, Navy, Marine and Army customers targets for developmental and operational tests.

Unmanned drone crashes at Tyndall

 TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- An unmanned QF-4 drone, assigned here to the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, crashed on the drone runway during take-off at 8:25 a.m., July 17, 2013. No personnel were injured during the incident.

Base and local police officials have closed the highway near the crash site as a precautionary measure due to fires resulting from the crash and a small self-destruct charge carried on board the drone. The status of this device is unknown, however it is powered by a short-life battery that will be fully depleted in 24 hours.

The charge is used to destroy the drone if it leaves its pre-approved flight plan.

More details will be released as they become available.

(Courtesy of 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

Tyndall gets new additions

Panama City Newsherald.com Story

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — Two T-38 Talon jets landed on the tarmac at Tyndall on Thursday afternoon, signaling — to some in the community — an upturn in activity near the Air Force base.

A total of 20 of the twin-engine jets will be used to aid in the training of F-22 pilots, and an estimated 100 jobs will be brought to Tyndall because of the T-38 Talons’ arrival.

The two T-38s, which arrived from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, are high-altitude, supersonic jet trainers used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record.

Lt. Col. Glen Richards, 39, of the Air Force Reserves, is the Reserve Detachment Commander and the 325th Fighter Wing Program Integration Officer. He said the plane will be used much like the practice squad on a football team.

“It’s like the scrimmage team in football,” Richards said. “It is like having somebody to practice or scrimmage against before the big game.”

Richards said instead of using another F-22 or an F-15 or F-16 to simulate an enemy fighter, the Air Force employs the T-38 at a fraction of the cost of the other aircraft.

Air Education and Training Command is the primary user of the T-38 for joint specialized undergraduate pilot training. Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration also use the T-38A in various roles.

“Some countries do use these (T-38s) in a more combat-oriented role, but we are using them here to help train Raptor pilots,” said 43-year-old Lt. Col. Ron Miller, the 53rd Weapons Evaluations Group deputy commander. “But not here. They will be the simulated bad guy, if you will.”

And don’t expect any “dogfights” in the sky.

“The intent with this airplane is not to get into a Korean-era or Vietnam-era dog fighting,” Richards said. “The intent is to basically have pieces of metal in the sky that can fly at fighter speeds — at supersonic speeds — to exercise the systems in the F-22 to shoot long- range missiles and exercise all the capabilities of the F-22.”

Another eight T-38s will arrive over the next few months, with the remaining 10 arriving sometime next fall, Air Force officials said.

Read more: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/tyndall-97417-air-arrive.html#ixzz1a6xrsGyj

ANG fighter wing preps for alert missions at Tyndall

by Angela Pope, AFNORTH Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- U.S.-based alert pilots train to shoot down enemy aircraft over American soil.

They run exercise scenarios on a constant basis, preparing for that call to scramble. But all the dry runs in the world can't prepare a pilot for that moment when a live missile is released from the jet.

That's why members of the 148th Fighter Wing out of Duluth, Minn., is spending two weeks here working with 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group Airmen.

"We came here to shoot missiles and drop live ordnance to be better prepared for our air sovereignty alert mission," said Lt. Col. Reed Bowman, the 148th FW Block 50 conversion officer. "We also came to the WEG to validate our new weapons system."

Members of the 148th FW support the Continental U.S. NORAD Region in carrying out Operation Noble Eagle - the command's response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. These Airmen are replacing their older Block 25 F-16 Fighting Falcons with better equipped Block 50 (newly-upgraded) F-16s that have different engines and internal avionics. The upgraded airframe will enhance the wing's ability to support ASA missions.

The 53rd WEG, a detachment of the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., provides the Duluth pilots an opportunity that doesn't come around too often.

"The last time we were here and had the opportunity to shoot live missiles was 2000," Colonel Bowman said.

During their two-week stay, Airmen from the 148th FW will run scenarios and missions created by the WEG members, who evaluate the fighter wing on their tactics, techniques and procedures from the ground up.

"They evaluate man, missile and machine," said Lt. Col. Glen Jaffray, a flight commander with the 179th Fighter Squadron, a subordinate unit of the 148th FW. "They look at the entire process: the maintainers' ability to load the munitions, the pilots' ability to employ the munitions and the jets' performance while firing the munitions."

When tasked with a mission that calls for deadly force, but rarely requires it, training like what the WEG Airmen provide is invaluable.

"The training we receive here gives us confidence in our jets' ability to perform," Colonel Bowman said. "When we shoot the live ordnance, we know our weapons system performs as advertised. Without the live ordnance, it's like a placebo effect."

That's an important advantage in a wing where nearly half of the pilots have never had the chance to fly a real-world alert mission.

While this deployment is an important step in the conversion to the new Block 50 F-16s, it's not the first training the pilots and maintainers have completed since they received their first new jets in April 2010.

"The internal architecture of the Block 50 is completely different from the Block 25," Colonel Bowman said. "It's a significantly different mission and skill set."

The wing's pilots attended a month-long course at Luke AFB, Ariz., while the maintainers and avionics technicians had their own training to attend to become familiarized with the new jet.

The complete conversion process takes approximately two years. But for now, the 148th FW Airmen are focused on their mission here.

"We are very happy to be here. The WEG provides us full service support and completely absorbs us into their construct," Colonel Bowman said. "They are very good at what they do."

"We're thrilled to have the 148th flying with us," said Lt. Col. Matthew Barker, the 53rd WEG deputy commander. "When you take the camaraderie, they bring to the fight and add in the confidence that comes from the rigorous weapons evaluations they're only able to do at Combat Archer (air-to-air) and Combat Hammer (air-to-ground), the result is increased combat effectiveness for their critical homeland defense mission or their next contingency deployment

F-4 continues long-time service to Air Force with new mission

by Senior Airman Kirsten Wicker, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- The 82nd Aerial Target Squadron officials here are replacing the use of Lear jets for their banner tow missions with the F-4 Phantom, creating an air-to-air target that aircrews in training can safely evaluate, develop and test their weapons systems.

"We developed the idea to use the F-4 for the banner tow missions to ensure our combat fighter aircrews could continue training and developing their aerial gunnery skills," said Lt. Col. Ryan Luchsinger, the 82nd ATRS commander. "Due to costs, the Navy contract for use of the Lear jets was being cut, and we had no other way to accomplish this training. The F-4 was the perfect platform to tow the banner and ensure we kept their aerial gunnery proficiency."

The F-4 models in use by the 82nd ATRS range in age from 36 to 42 years old and are flown and maintained here. New procedures for attaching the banner to the jet had to be developed to ensure safety and effectiveness.

"We did our research and came up with new procedures for attaching the banner," said Maj. William Hope, the 53rd Test Support Squadron Assistant Director of Operations and the F-4 banner tow project manager. "We adapted them from an old Navy banner tow system of another F-4 model and made some minor changes to the equipment to make it safer as well."

"Using the F-4 provides us with the capability to take advantage of training opportunities that otherwise would not have been available to us," he said.

The 60 foot-long banner is attached to the F-4 by specially trained maintainers.

"We attach the banner with a 120-foot chain to 1600 feet of cable so there is 1800 feet of clearance between the jet and the banner," said Tech. Sgt. Phillip Praeger, with the 82nd ATRS maintenance and logistics section. "This leaves plenty of room between the banner and the F-4 in case the target is missed."

Lt. Col. Gregory Blount, the 82nd ATRS director of operations, began flying the F-4's new mission two months ago.

"We have a special training program for pilots on Tyndall and we start with the most experienced because it is a new program," he said. "This is just another way the venerable Phantom continues to serve the Air Force nearly 50 years after it began service."

The plane's new role ensures the Defense Department has full-scale, air-to-air target training, ensuring continued air dominance through highly specialized operational testing and evaluation of weapons systems.

"The 82nd ATRS operates the only F-4 banner tow in the Defense Department," said Colonel Blount. "We work in conjunction with the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron and we fall under the 53rd Weapons Evaluations Group, also located on Tyndall."

According to safety officials, all sorties are conducted over water, far from shore. Officials work to ensure there are no stray boaters in the impact area.

Mission complete, the F-4 returns to base and the banner is detached and evaluated for the number of bulls-eye hits it came back with. Pilots have an opportunity to evaluate how well they did, enhancing their training.

In addition to providing training, the F-4 banner tow mission is a cost-saving initiative, saving the Air Force nearly $750,000 a year.

"This is an enormous benefit to our combat fighter aircrews as well as to our cost-saving initiatives, because we are able to accomplish critical aerial gunnery training while flying," Colonel Luchsinger said.

The McDonnell Douglas-built aircraft is a two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter. It was originally developed for the Navy fleet defense in 1958, however it was later adopted by the Marine Corps and the Air Force. It has been in Air Force service since 1961 and was extensively used by both the Navy and the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Today, modified F-4s are in use as QF-4 reusable, full-scale target drones.

More planes headed for Tyndall in 2011

According to an online article on the Panama City News Herald written by Daniel Carson, Tyndall will be getting some new aircraft in 2011.

The U.S. Air Force will be sending a T-38 detachment of 10 jet trainers to Tyndall, with the first round of planes arriving on base by the end of September 2011, according to Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla. The remaining five are expected to be in place at Tyndall by the end of March 2012.

The plan to base the aircraft at Tyndall will fill an important part of the F-22 air dominance training syllabus and will help fill the gap between the recent retirement of F-15s and planned arrival of the operational F-22 squadron.

The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, performance and safety record, according to a release from LeMieux’s office. The 10 T-38s will provide dedicated adversary support to the 29 F-22s currently stationed at the base.

Deepwater Horizon airspace activity now coordinated at 601st AOC

by Lt. Col. Susan A. Romano, Air Forces Northern Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- As the Deepwater Horizon response operation enters week 13 since an oil rig exploded April 20 in the Gulf of Mexico, senior Department of Defense and Homeland Security officials centralized airspace management operations in the 601st Air & Space Operations Center here.

Officials said they made the decision because of the organization's "inherent and unique skill set" when dealing with airspace deconfliction and ability to respond to natural and man-made disasters.

The Aviation Coordination Command was created to assist the Coast Guard with the response mission that began more than 85 days ago.

Coast Guard Capt. Mike Emerson was tapped as director of the ACC to manage and coordinate the abundance of aviation resources currently operating in the gulf region.

"Our primary role is to ensure the safe and efficient use of the temporary flight restriction area where several hundred airframes operate on a daily basis," Captain Emerson said. "By centralizing the management of resources and aircraft activity in the gulf, we can integrate the air campaign and work closely with the affected states' incident command posts."

The 601st AOC previously has responded to natural disasters. In the wake of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January, the 601st AOC was tasked to assist with airspace deconfliction and air traffic flow in and out of the Port-au-Prince, Haiti, airport, while maximizing the efficient use of inbound and outbound air traffic. The organization took what some pilots called "a big giant hairball" of air traffic and streamlined air operations to get aid to the Haitian people.

"The decision to move airspace coordination operations to the 601st AOC makes complete sense," Captain Emerson said. "The men and women of U.S. Northern Command's air component have world-class capabilities and expertise when it comes to airspace management and deconfliction, and we've been able to leverage that to our advantage. Things like access to networks, shared databases, common operating pictures and full motion video have proven to be invaluable to the initial success of the ACC."

"Likewise, they bring experience from past events like the earthquake in Haiti that you just can't glean from a textbook or corporate manual," he said.

On any given day, the temporary flight restriction area sees up to 135 various types of aircraft: fish and oil spotters, banner towers, boom operators, spray flights, oil platform helicopters, media representatives, general aviation pilots, state and federal participants, and military aircraft. The TFR covers a 20,000 square mile radius up to an altitude of 3,000 feet, which excludes commercial airliners, and the Federal Aviation Administration dictates the required compliance within that airspace.

"Our job is to ensure all aircraft flying in the affected area are FAA-compliant while operating in a safe, manageable environment," Captain Emerson said.

Currently, the 601st AOC has approximately 75 members supporting the ACC. The support covers a broad spectrum of backgrounds and services, including active-duty Air Force and Navy members, federal and state National Guardsmen, and civil servants.

"In addition to the AOC's participation in the ACC," said Col. Randy Spear, the 601st AOC commander, "we also have several liaison officers from the FAA, the Department of Interior, (the) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Customs and Border Protection, (the) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Coast Guard and BP, just to name a few.

"Their input is critical to our overall operation, because they are on hand to coordinate activities between their parent organization and the ACC," Colonel Spear said. "They also provide technical and subject matter expertise and are able to offer vital interface with the many interagencies that are supporting cleanup efforts in the Gulf."

While the DOD responds to disasters of this scope, the ACC director is quick to point out that this is not exclusively a military operation.

"The U.S. Coast Guard remains the lead federal agency for the Deepwater Horizon response, but there are dozens of private and non-government organizations participating in recovery efforts," Captain Emerson said. "And our role could change at any time, depending on how events unfold."

Working closely with the ACC director and his liaison officers is the 601st AOC's Intelligence & Reconnaissance Division.

The IRD is providing satellite imagery to help locate surface slicks, recover spewing oil, and minimize environment impacts. The collected imagery is passed to the command and control elements at the incident command posts in New Orleans, Mobile, Ala., or Miami, where spotters and skimmers are assigned to the affected areas.

"The IRD folks are able to provide near real-time imagery from the gulf to the unified area command, which ultimately helps to streamline the efficiency and effectiveness for the on-scene responders," Colonel Spear said.

Along with support to the ACC, Air Forces Northern deployed an Air Component Coordination Element liaison officer and Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers to the unified area command in New Orleans. The ACCE serves as the Air Force's subject matter expert on movement of Air Forces assets in and out of the region, while the EPLOs help the federal on-scene commander procure military logistics, medical, security and public affairs assets, if requested.

"The Deepwater Horizon incident has affected us all -- not just those along the Gulf Coast, but across the nation -- and we will continue to assist in any way we can, for as long as our expertise is requested and deemed beneficial to the response operations," said Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean, the Air Forces Northern commander. "As our Air Force chief of staff frequently says, 'We're all in,' and that certainly holds true for us here at Tyndall as well."

F-15s To Leave Tyndall Sooner Than Expected?

The following statement was made on behalf of Tom Neubauer, President of Bay Defense Alliance:

“The F15s came to Tyndall in 1983, replacing T-33. Our first 5th generation fighter, the F-22 began arriving at Tyndall in 2005 to begin a much slower process of replacing the still capable but aging F-15.

The F-22 Environmental Impact Statment anticipated a drawdown of F15s through the fiscal year 2013. This process has been accelerated as a result of 2010 defense budget uncertainties creating the aforementioned 300 aircraft option.

See the rest of the story at
http://www.panhandleparade.com/index.php/mbb/article/f_15s_to_leave_tyndall/mbb7715124/

Air Force continues search for missing adventurer

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Air Force Rescue Coordination Center officials here continue to provide critical search and rescue support in the multistate effort to find Steve Fossett, an adventurer missing since Sept. 3.

The extensive coordination and support effort includes coordination with officials from across the United States.

To find Mr. Fossett, AFRCC officials are working with members from the Western Air Defense Sector at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., Nevada, California, Utah and Colorado Civil Air Patrols, Nevada and California Offices of Emergency Services; Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada; the Nevada Army and Air National Guard; and Civil Air Patrol Headquarters at Maxwell AFB, Ga.

"It's unity of effort. You have state, local and federal resources coordinating to help find Mr. Fossett in a timely manner," said Lt. Col. Jed Hudson, the AFRCC commander.

The effort began with an alert notice from the Federal Aviation Administration's Reno Flight Service Station at 3:40 p.m. Sept. 3, said Justin Hynes, the AFRCC watch supervisor. They informed AFRCC controllers that tail number 240NR (Mr. Fossett's aircraft) was reported overdue.

"Immediately, we started coordinating for federal search and rescue assets available in the area," Mr. Hynes said. "We use radar data, source leads and terrain information to coordinate grid searches. The extent and length of time we spend on any area is based on the probability of success. High density terrain (mountains, wooded areas) is usually a key factor in prolonged search operations."

"With this tough terrain, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Mr. Hynes said.

One method used to aid in the search for Mr. Fossett is radar forensics, or "data reduction," which is the analysis of raw radar data from around the U.S. This process compares radar data to radar hits from known aircraft operating under visual flight rules, or VFR. These aircraft "squawk" either a unique air traffic control assigned code or a generic VFR code of 1,200 on their transponder, an avionics device that ATC radar controllers use to follow the flight of aircraft in their area.

Had Mr. Fossett requested flight following, he would have been assigned a unique transponder code that would have made his flight track much easier to trace.

Once all known flight paths are removed from the radar data, the remaining radar "hits" are correlated for possible flight paths of unknown aircraft.

"Historically, when radar forensics lead us to the last known position, we usually find the objective within three nautical miles of that position," Colonel Hudson said.

Another method of detecting aircraft in distress is through an onboard emergency locator transmitter, called an ELT. An ELT is essentially a specialized radio beacon.

Special SAR equipment mounted on some National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather satellites can "hear" these distress signals and transmit an approximate location to SAR controllers in the AFRCC, Colonel Hudson said.

Mr. Fossett's aircraft was equipped with a 121.5 megahertz ELT that should automatically activate upon impact with the ground, but can manually be activated as well. It is notorious for transmitting false alerts and takes two or more satellite passes to correlate a possible location of a distressed aircraft. No ELT signal was ever received by AFRCC controllers.

The 406 MHz ELT, a new digital beacon containing a unique ID number is now commercially available.

Improvements to the new beacon include location of 1-3 NM (two to five kilometers) accuracy on average, global coverage, instantaneous alert time, and a Doppler location from a single satellite pass, Mr. Hynes said. It also has accuracy of less than 100 yards with GPS-equipped 406 MHz beacons.

Search and recovery efforts will continue despite the deactivation of the 121.5 and 243.0 signal, Colonel Hudson said.

"The bottom-line is, we will continue to coordinate the rescue of any known personnel in distress," Colonel Hudson said.

The AFRCC will continue its investigative work in coordination with the incident commanders on location, said Tech. Sgt. Roberto Gerald, an AFRCC SAR controller.

"The situation remains as an active search mission and we are still investigating many leads," Sergeant Gerald said. "Mr. Fossett's probability of survival is increased because of his survival experiences as an adventurer."

On any given day the AFRCC operates with one watch supervisor and three to four SAR controllers working 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, all year. Each controller may be handling up to seven or eight incidents and or missions at a time.

Air operations center opens at Tyndall

by Master Sgt. Linda E Welz
1st Air Force Public Affairs

Guests look on as a video presentation is displayed on the $3.5 million data wall during the dedication of the new 601st Air and Space Operations Center June 1 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Airmen at the new center will help protect America's airspace from attack as well as coordinate life-saving relief during natural and man-made disasters. (U.S. Air Force photo)

6/4/2007 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- First Air Force celebrated the opening of the 601st Air and Space Operations Center here June 1 with a ceremony and tour of the 37,000-square-foot, $30 million combat center.

First Air Force, which also serves under the North American Aerospace Defense Command as the continental U.S. NORAD Region, provides air security and air sovereignty defense for the continental United States. Airmen at the new AOC plan, direct and assess air and space operations for NORAD and the United States Northern Command.

Conceived in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, the state-of-the-art AOC further enables 1st Air Force Airmen to protect America's airspace from attack as well as coordinate life-saving relief during natural and man-made disasters.

Debra Burlingame, co-founder of 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America, and director of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, served as the ceremony's keynote speaker. Her brother, Charles Burlingame III, a retired military aviator, was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 that was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the Pentagon.

Ms. Burlingame said when times are difficult, Americans pull together as a nation toward a common goal.

"We are a country of achievers who dream big and fight hard to the end," said Ms. Burlingame. "We love to win (and) this spectacular new facility is here because people will never again let a tragedy like 9/11 happen; not on our watch."

As the newest combat center in the war on terrorism, the AOC operations floor employs a high-tech, two-story, 16-screen data wall in a media-based theater reminiscent of a space-age control center.

America's AOC employs the Theater Battle Management Core Systems that the joint forces air component commander uses to task and re-task theater assets by providing real-time feeds to pilots, navigators and air battle managers, allowing them to make better-informed decisions.

It also employs, through its Western and Northeastern Defense Sectors, the Battle Control System-Fixed program, to collect input from a network of radars to alert operators of airborne activity in continental U.S. air space. BCS-F provides key technology for the protection of the sovereign airspace over the continental U.S., Canada and surrounding waters.

Gen. Ronald Keys, the Air Combat Command commander, spoke of the many sorties, evacuations, rescues, firefighting missions and other missions that the command had completed since the 2001 terrorist attack.

He called the opening of the new AOC a red-letter day.

"We stand here on the first day of hurricane season knowing well that these Florida Air National Guard warriors are on the job," said General Keys.

"Americans can sleep well knowing their Air Force is awake and engaged here at America's AOC."

Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, the 1st AF commander, called the AOC opening another step in the continuing mission to keep America safe.

"As we continue to hone America's technological edge we are able to strengthen our homeland defenses and bring military and civilian authorities together under on roof," he said. "Our team is an operational example of how our total force is engaged to keep our skies safe."

Rescue coordination center opens at Tyndall

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center began operations here March 1 as the newest team member in "America's Air Operations Center."

The AFRCC realigned under 1st Air Force (Air Force North) in April 2006, to consolidate Air Force support to civilian agencies under a single air component commander.

Previously located at Langley AFB, Virginia, the AFRCC is now consolidated with the 601st Air Operations Center here, giving it greater ability to leverage Air Force air and space capabilities that can be applied to continental U.S. search and rescue.

America's AOC also gains the responsibility for executing civil search and rescue, and personnel recovery operations, in the NORAD-USNORTHCOM area of operations. The result is greater efficiencies and capabilities for military and civilians alike.

"The AFRCC serves as the single agency responsible for coordinating on-land federal SAR activities in the 48 contiguous United States, Mexico and Canada," said Lt. Col. Jed Hudson, AFRCC commander. "This realignment under 1st Air Force and being embedded into America's AOC, enhances the unit's overall effectiveness and will help us save lives in the future."

Serving as communication hub during on-going search and rescue missions, the AFRCC provides coordination and assistance to on-scene commanders, mission coordinators, and incident commanders in order to recover the mission's objective in the safest and most effective manner possible. This 24/7 center uses state-of-the-art technology, including network satellites for monitoring emergency locator transmitter signals, to help reduce the critical time required to locate and recover people in distress.

Since the center opened in May 1974, AFRCC missions have resulted in more than 13,900 lives saved.