J.M. Eddins Jr.

Formation of Friendship In the summer of 2008, on a lush grass field in Bealeton, Virginia, Sue Tucker Brander approached the blue and yellow plane of her new friend, civilian pilot and Air Force Reservist David Brown. In her hand was a framed black and white photograph. The photo showed a young man wearing a leather helmet and […] No responses November 20, 2017
Airframe: A-10 Thunderbolt II The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan-powered aircraft designed specifically for close air support and ground attack missions against armored vehicles. See more ‘A-10 Thunderbolt II’ photos on Flickr The aircraft’s sub-sonic speed and large straight-wing design allows for extreme maneuverability at low altitudes and extended time on target or to loiter above […] No responses November 8, 2017
Pocketsize Multiplier See more ‘Pocketsize Multiplier’ photos on Flickr Tech. Sgt. Jesse Sosa hits the mat with a loud thud as he demonstrates a proper fall technique to a group of four Ravens of the 811th Security Force Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Dressed in a gi with a purple belt, the flight crew chief with […] No responses October 25, 2017
Creating Synthetic Teammates See more Creating Synthetic Teammates photos on Flickr It could be argued that the one persistent challenge faced by the Air Force over its 70-year history is how to best integrate Airmen with cutting-edge technology. Most pressing, from the earliest days of aviation, was the need to protect the human body from the potentially deadly […] No responses October 2, 2017
Optimizing the Data Loop See more Data Loop photos on Flickr Col. John Boyd, an Air Force fighter pilot and military theorist, put forward the key concept of aerial combat known as the Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action (OODA) loop. Within this theory, the key adversary is not the capabilities of the opposing pilot or his aircraft, but time. He […] No responses September 21, 2017
Higher Ground See more “AFOTEC Approved” photos on Flickr Sun Tzu advised in The Art of War, “When the enemy occupies high ground, do not confront him.” This is why, since the advent of flight, all battlefield commanders have sought to control the airspace above the battlefield – the “ground” above the high ground. Control of the […] No responses September 8, 2017
Global Already There See more “AFOTEC Approved” photos on Flickr During the Soviet Union’s blockade of West Berlin from June 24, 1948 to May 11, 1949, the newly created U.S. Air Force, not even a year old, executed its first major air mobility mission. U.S. transport planes, along with Royal Air Force and British civil transport aircraft, delivered […] No responses September 1, 2017
AFOTEC Approved See more “AFOTEC Approved” photos on Flickr Airman Magazine: Sir, could you describe the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center mission? Maj. Gen. Molloy: The mission of AFOTEC is both clear and compelling. We test emerging capabilities in operationally relevant environments to inform both the warfighter, as well as national resource decision-making. We’re very […] No responses August 25, 2017
Orbital Airmen See more “Orbital Airmen” photos on Flickr On the rare instances when Col. Tyler N. “Nick” Hague returns from a day at the office and walks through the door of his own home, the oldest of his two boys occasionally asks, “Daddy, were you in space today?” Not such a childish question when you consider […] No responses July 24, 2017
Airframe: The F-35A Lightning II See more F-35 photos on Flickr The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter combining advanced aerodynamics, survivability in high-threat environments and an enhanced ability to provide pilots and allied assets across operational domains with robust situational awareness. The F-35 is the result of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program to develop a single-engine, stealthy, […] No responses June 26, 2017