HOMENews

News Search

  • KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- A flack vest and Kevlar helmet become everyday wear for troops deploying in support of U.S. contingencies. Master Sgt. Alan Bourgeois, 403rd Maintenance Squadron, and others from the 403rd Wing got a taste of wearing the gear as they processed and prepared for transportation to Volk Field, Wis. for training. Airmen from the 403rd Wing and 433rd Airlift Wing spent a week in Wisconsin training on Ability to Survive and Operate procedures.(U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Tabitha Spinks)

    Ready, Set, Go: Wing Inspection Prep Begins with Volk Exercise

    Nearly 350 Reservists from the 403rd Wing deployed during April UTA to Volk Field, Wis. for a week of Operational Readiness Inspection training. During out-processing, the troops were given safety briefings and were introduced to Operation Brilliant Thunder, the scenario that will put their skills to the test. They geared up from head to toe in
  • VOLK FIELD, Wis.. -- Members of the 403rd Wing arriving here were greeted with their first official task of the deployment -- filling sandbags. Senior Master Sgt. Lisa Baldelli, NCOIC, 403rd Services Flight, got a little more than her share on the shovel filling six sandbags before she was able to hand it off to the next person. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Michael Duhe)

    Shovel, Hydrate, Gas, All Clear: Reservists Learn Combat Survival Skills

    Upon arriving at Volk Field, Wis., the Citizen Airmen of the 403rd Wing team quickly settled into practicing their skills at operating in a combat environment. The first order of business was filling two sandbags each. For the next two days, they "set up shop" and attended training courses, including Self-aid and Buddy Care and Explosive Ordnance
  • Airman Addison Brown, 403rd Maintanence Group, takes a swing at the ball during one of the intramural softball games. Brown is new to the unit "We all come down to the same level with the same goal in a sport environment,"says Raye Johnson, 403rd mission support flight and assistant coach. " The team builds morale and gives everybody a chance to get to meet people from other parts of the unit." (US Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Tabitha Spinks)

    Just a Swingin'

  • Excavators using a thumb to bite into solid pieces of the hangar. Tearing the building down was quick compared to the cleanup of the site which is still ongoing. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Tabitha Spinks)

    History Comes Crashing Down

  • Medics rush to the attention of "patient" Col. Maria de los Pons, coomander, 403rd ASTS, during an exercise designed to help prepare the unit for upcoming inspections. Colonel Pons was made up with moulage simulating a serious neck injury. While wearing their chemical protective gear, the troops had to determine what her injuries were and provide immediate assistance. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Staff Sgt. Michael Eaton)

    Moulage Ruse

  • While deployed in support of the National Weather Service in February, flightline personnel ensured aircraft were prepared to fly winter storm missions by de-icing them. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters collect data ahead of winter storms to improve the accuracy of forecast models by 10 percent. In addition to Pacific storms, the squadron flies winter storms along the eastern seaboard, sometimes called nor?easters, which often form during the months of December to the end of April. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Master Sgt. Randy Bynon)

    Cold Storage

  • Tech. Sgt. Lisa Perales fills containers with Liquid Oxygen called LOX from a port on a WC-130J aircraft. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. James B. Pritchett)

    Aeromedical Evacuators Find J-model Improves Patient Care

    Aeromedical Evacuation Teams provide a lifeline to critical care for sick and injured troops in the Southwest Asia Area of Operations as well as contingencies and humanitarian efforts around the world. These dedicated medical professionals, with the ability to turn any cargo aircraft in the Air Force inventory into an air ambulance, fly into the
  • Two of the Air Force's newest airlifters the C-130J-30 fly in formation during a training mission. Flown by Citizen Airmen of the 815th Airlift Squadron, the C-130J-30 aircraft make formation flying easier for aircrews promoting efficiency even in adverse conditions due to the Heads-Up Displays which allow pilots to view essential flight information while never taking their eyes off the outside environment. These aircraft are assigned to Air Force Reserve Command's 403rd Wing. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Maj. Chad Gibson)

    Birds of a Feather: Flying the J-model in Formation

    If flying the most technologically advanced C-130 in the world sounds complicated, consider flying four or five of them 500 feet apart. Formation flying looks easy from the ground, but it is much more complicated. Imagine yourself driving your car down the highway staying consistently within five feet of three cars around you, maintaining a
  • Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, exchanges greetings with Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, aerial reconnaissance weather officer for the "Hurricane Hunters". General Bradley recently toured the WC-130J as the Citizen Airmen of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron prepare for beginning of hurricane season, which started June 1. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters are the only operational weather reconnaissance squadron in the world and have already flown Subtropical Storm Andrea in early May. This season, the state-of-the-art WC-130J will be equipped with the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer, which continuously measures surface winds and rainfall rates occurring below the aircraft. The data collected by the Hurricane Hunters increase the accuracy of the National Hurricane Center Forecast up to 30 percent. (Air Force Photo/ Maj. Chad E. Gibson)

    Welcome Aboard, Sir

  • Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, speaks at a press conference in Washington D.C. in late May about the Citizen Airmen of the Air Force Reserve "Hurricane Hunters" and the new Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer. Affectionately known as a "smurf", this advance in technology will continuously measure the winds on the surface. "This year and next year, we are adding a very nice new piece of equipment to our aircraft that will help us more accurately determine the surface winds at all times," said Bradley Bradley said the data collected by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron increases the accuracy of the National Hurricane Center Forecast by up to 30 percent, which is sure to rise with the use of the "smurf."

    Bradley Praises 'Smurf'

RSS