Mesh-Networked UAVs, Aircraft Stress Test Data Sharing Capability

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems tested their collaborative, networked UAVs with crewed fighters for enhanced multi-platform sensing, demonstrating the capacity for their MQ-20 Avenger as an uncrewed aircraft. The test used the MQ-20, flying alongside a Lockheed Martin Sabreliner and a pair of F-5 Advanced Tigers from Tactical Air Support. The Tigers were equipped with internal TacIRST sensors, allowing General Atomics to perform multi-platform infrared sensing.

North Carolina Team Saves the Day as Sailboat Drifts 100 Miles from Shore

A Coast Guard team rescued a trio of adults and a 15-year-old from a sinking sailing vessel off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The passengers were recovered from a 41-foot sailboat, the Rojodan, after they hailed the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina on the evening of November 30. The crew of the boat reported the loss of both their engines and jib, leaving their vessel stranded nearly 100 miles from shore.

Guard Commander Points to Effective Distress Signaling for Timely Rescue

The Coast Guard successfully completed a helicopter rescue to the sailing vessel LULA after it ran aground near Santa Cruz Island on Thanksgiving day. The watchstanders at the Coast Guard's Long Beach Command Center received a notification that a vessel's Digital Selective Calling distress signal had been activated in the vicinity of Santa Cruz. After making radio calls on VHF Channel 16, the watchstanders were able to determine that the distress signal came from the LULA, a ship that ran aground with 2 aboard.

Recruiters Look to Virtual Flight to Entice Would-Be Airmen

Amid a larger dearth of recruiting across all branches of military service, the Air Force is leveraging students' natural video gaming instincts to achieve a competitive edge in cultivating future airmen. The Air Force's Recruiting Service Detachment 1 took to the suburbs of Detroit to promote its "Aim High Flight Academy" and other U.S. Air Force opportunities geared towards students about to graduate.