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GigXR Awarded Air Force SBIR Phase II Contract to Develop Extended Reality (XR) Simulation Training for Department of the Air Force

Friday, April 28th, 2023

Provides mixed-reality hologram patients to enhance realism in preparing students for treating combat casualties in safe-to-fail environments

Los Angeles, CA – April 26, 2023 – GigXR, Inc., a global provider of holographic healthcare training, announced today that it has received a second Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract to develop holographic simulation training for the 354th Medical Group United States Air Force (USAF) based out of Eielsen, Alaska. The contract will be used to create immersive learning that uses hyper-realistic holographic patients that trains future medics to move through a critical checklist to correctly treat severe combat injuries.

To be built as a new module in GigXR’s HoloScenarios – a mixed reality application that allows learners to practice interventions using holographic equipment with hyper-realistic holographic patients that can present customizable, lifelike complications – this Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training will provide learners unlimited, on-demand access to holographic patients with combat injuries. They can practice key skills as often as needed while working in safe-to-fail environments.

GigXR will create high-stress, safe-to-fail situations that incorporate sounds, such as gunshots, explosions and helicopters overhead, to better mimic the experience of combat care. The module will also include realistic visualizations of injuries such as blast wounds, broken legs, shrapnel inflictions and more. Learners will be able to encounter these immersive experiences in a lab, classroom, remotely in an at-home study space, or outdoors.

“We are always extremely proud whenever we get to build something for the U.S. Military,” said Jared Mermey, CEO at GigXR. “The mixed reality healthcare training that GigXR delivers is built to better prepare for what might be seen in the field. The immersive experiences provide far more advantages to the analog alternatives in terms of realism, cost to deliver, and operational burden, especially when deploying this critical content at scale.”

GigXR has partnered with the University of Cambridge and Cambridge / University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation, University of Michigan and Morlen Health, a subsidiary of Northwest Permanente, P.C., to co-create modules centered around Respiratory diseases, Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Neurology scenarios. By partnering with 3D interactive medical experts, such as 3D4Medical from Elsevier and ANIMA RES, GigXR’s customers can centralize access and management of 3D anatomy content which are also complementary to GigXR’s mixed reality applications.

GigXR’s growing partnership ecosystem continues to power a rapidly-expanding immersive learning library delivered by the Gig Immersive Learning Platform. The company is trusted by academic institutions across four continents, including nursing and medical schools and teaching hospitals, including: Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, Miami Dade College, Ursuline College, Leeds University, The University of Queensland, Otago Polytechnic and more.

“Realism can be difficult to achieve in medical training. For instructors, it’s not just a question of allowing learners to perform procedures or diagnostics, but immersing them in the scenario that empowers team collaboration, critical thinking and knowledge retention to more effectively apply skills in the future,” said David King Lassman, GigXR’s Founder. “It’s hard, for example, to show continued bleeding on a manikin, but learners need to be prepared for patients bleeding through a tourniquet or chest seal. GigXR’s technology delivers visual and procedural realism that can be especially important in combat training.”

GigXR’s second Phase II SBIR contract underscores the company’s growth trajectory as mixed reality heads toward mainstream adoption. According to a report by Markets and Markets, the sector could be worth $114.5 billion by 2027. GigXR’s software-led immersive learning creates the digital infrastructure to ensure equal access to the highest-quality training across geographically distributed educational programs. For the military, whose medical training takes place in locations from Alaska to Texas, the flexibility of mixed reality is key to providing each unit with the tools for success.

“Because of the Phase II SBIR award, any Federal Government Customer that is interested in holographic training can purchase this hyper-realistic training solution at scale from GigXR using a non-competitive Phase III contract,” said Mark Longe, Chief Operating Officer of C5 Business Development Innovations (C5BDI), a strategic planning, management and business development (BD) consulting firm that focuses on Federal acquisition.

For more information on GigXR visit www.gigxr.com. For more information on the United States Air Force SBIR program visit www.afwerx.com/afventures-overview.

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AF Research Lab Re-Ups Affiliation with Longtime Liquid Crystal Industry Partner AlphaMicron Inc to Meet DoD Needs

Friday, April 28th, 2023

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO (AFRL) – Longtime Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, industry partner AlphaMicron Inc., is utilizing a 2021 Ohio Federal Research Network, or OFRN, funding award to expand the capability of its patented guest host liquid crystal technology, called e-Tint, to electronically dimmable protective eyewear for the Department of the Air Force, or DAF, Department of Defense and commercial markets.

The $1.35 million award, comprised of $900,000 from the state of Ohio and a $450,000 AlphaMicron, or AMI, cost share, enables AMI to apply emergent fundamental research toward the expansion of its e-Tint technology for the development of advanced sun protection devices for pilots and special warriors, as well as specialized laser protection film for civilian and military eyewear, said Principal Electronics Engineer Dr. Darrel G. Hopper in the Airman Systems Directorate of AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing.

In its persistent mission to mature its technology and create advanced applications, AFRL has partnered with AMI — a global leader in liquid crystal-based light reactive technologies — since its founding in December 1996 as a spinoff of Kent State University’s Liquid Crystal Institute, Hopper said.

“Most recently, AMI was a performer under the 2018 Electronically Dimmable Eye Protection Devices Small-Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program sponsored by the Airman Systems Directorate,” Hopper said. “During the 2020-2022 Phase II award, AMI partnered with Bowling Green University, Kent State University and Miami University to develop next-generation electronically dimmable eye protection devices enabling them to work toward the 70% transmission window needed for current and future DAF applications.”

The image depicts AlphaMicron Inc., or AMI’s prototype progression over the course of 20 years. AMI’s first dimming proof of principle prototype from 1997 was eventually integrated into a Full Complex Curvature Helmet F-35 Visor prototype for the U.S. Department of the Air Force in 2017 to help mitigate pilots’ difficulties managing light transmission during flight. The initial collaboration between AFRL and AMI resulted in the creation of e-Tint, an electronic tint-on-demand liquid crystal technology that can be applied to flexible plastic substrates, such as pilot visors, instead of traditional glass. e-Tint switches from clear to dark faster than an eye can blink — about 0.1 of a second— and is fail-safe in a power outage. This technology was used to create the world’s first electronic switchable eyewear which was field tested by the U.S. Army and is now being issued to soldiers through the Approved Protective Eyewear List.? In addition to current applications, the technology is being developed for augmented reality applications and see-through displays, where simultaneously controlling ambient and display light is important, said AMI’s Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bahman Taheri.(U.S. Air Force photo)

The AFRL-sponsored 2018 STTR award expedited AMI’s process of qualifying and applying for the OFRN funding, as AMI was able to sustain the same academic partnerships it had developed under the previous effort, Hopper said.

AMI’s OFRN effort was one of five selected in the OFRN round five: Sustaining Ohio’s Aeronautical Readiness and Innovation in the Next Generation, or SOARING, Opportunity Announcement. According to its website, OFRN awards funding for projects that help expand Ohio’s research capabilities and grow its workforce in the areas of defense, aerospace, energy and health.

“AFRL’s history with AlphaMicron is long and rich,” said Personal Protection Direction Lead Dr. Matthew Lange in AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. “This OFRN funding is so important because it is what gets this kind of technology done. It’s enabling the continuation of solutions that are relevant to DOD needs.”

The storied relationship between AFRL and AMI led to the development of foundational optical technology with numerous commercial and military applications, said Dr. Richard Vaia, chief scientist, AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate.

“This ensures critical suppliers have multiple revenues for pervasive aspects of critical technology for future DAF systems,” Vaia said.

AMI’s collaboration with the DAF dates back to its first Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, award in 1997 under the Variable Transmittance Visor program, Hopper said.

Prototypes produced under this first agreement eventually led to future collaborations with AFRL.

In 1997, AFRL partnered with AMI to address light management issues in fighter pilot helmets; researchers were challenged to develop variable-tint visors that would enable pilots to see clearly in flight, despite fluctuating lighting conditions. When pilots encountered sudden washes of intense sunlight mid-flight, they struggled to read and track the data on their aircraft-mounted and head-mounted displays, Hopper said.

“There was a need for some way of controlling visor tint, as it was affected by the transmission of light when the pilots would go above or below the clouds,” said Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Bahman Taheri, who co-founded AMI with two other colleagues in 1996. “This was a safety hindrance. So AFRL asked us to join them to find a solution [based on the then-new guest host liquid crystal technology].”

AFRL and NASA have been working on solving this problem since the 1970s, Hopper said. It has taken the industry 20 years to realize the need for this type of technology for near eye applications. This need has accelerated with the recent emphasis on augmented reality glasses where displayed image contrast can be washed out because of the background ambient lighting conditions.

The initial collaboration between AFRL and AMI resulted in the creation of e-Tint, an electronic tint-on-demand liquid crystal technology that ultimately helped mitigate the pilots’ difficulties managing light transmission during flight. According to AMI’s website, e-Tint switches from clear to dark faster than an eye can blink — about 0.1 of a second— and is fail-safe in a power outage. Notably, the technology can be applied to flexible plastic substrates, or surfaces, instead of traditional glass, to benefit Airmen and Guardians.

“The Air Force was very specific about what it wanted,” Taheri said. “There were all of these boxes we needed to check. And one of them was they wanted to be able to encapsulate the layer of liquid crystal — which is very thin, 6 microns, so about one-tenth of the diameter of a human hair — between plastic. Glass is brittle and flat, not flexible and curved. If you drop it, it breaks. Flexible plastic substrates do not shatter, and they’re lightweight.”

All of these qualities make plastic desirable to glass when it comes to developing agile solutions for pilot eyewear, Taheri said, but the task of translating the liquid crystal technology to flexible plastic substrates was not without its challenges.

“Precisely because it’s flexible, it can be difficult to apply that thin layer of liquid crystal between two pieces of plastic and maintain uniformity,” Taheri said.

Around 2010, AFRL Chief Technologist Dr. Timothy Bunning led efforts within the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate to bring AMI on board to partner with members of his research team in what was then called the Functional Materials Division. Bunning’s group was working on expanding in-house liquid crystal research and develop resilience technologies relating to laser and flash eye protection. Bunning, who served at the time as division chief and, later, as the directorate’s chief scientist, assembled a research team that included Lange, Dr. Michael McConney and Dr. Timothy White, among others.

Together, the AFRL and AMI researchers sought to translate AMI’s preexisting e-Tint technology on flexible plastic substrates to variable-tint visors for DAF pilots.

“Our efforts with AMI were very fruitful,” Bunning said. “In AFRL, we are list-makers, we are very structured, we are always proactively pushing the bounds of the research. Our collaboration [with AMI] allowed us to combine efforts to reduce the risk of these new technologies, and it also led to some high-end publications in prominent scientific journals.”

White, who has since transitioned out of AFRL to take up a professorship in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado-Boulder, said the vibrant partnership between his research team and AMI successfully resulted in the pursuit of both near- and far-term laser and flash eyewear protection solutions.

“Alpha Micron was and continues to be an incredible partner for the DOD to work with,” White said.

Taheri said his various collaborations with AFRL have opened doors to do more of what he genuinely enjoys.

The graphic illustrates how reorienting liquid crystal (yellow) causes dichroic dye (red) to reorient along with it, which changes the transmission of light. In 1997, the U.S. Department of the Air Force identified a need for controlling visor tint in pilot eyewear. Visor tint was affected by light transmission when pilots would go above or below the clouds, as sudden washes of intense sunlight mid-flight impacted their ability to read and track the data on their aircraft-mounted and head-mounted displays. To address this safety issue, AFRL partnered with Kent State University-based AlphaMicron Inc., or AMI, a global leader in liquid crystal technology, to find a solution based on AMI’s proprietary polarizer-free, guest-host liquid crystal system known as e-Tint. AMI’s Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bahman Taheri likens this system to a molecular version of a Venetian blind. (Courtesy photo / AlphaMicron Inc.)

“Working with AFRL gave and continues to give me a glimpse into what the future of eyewear is going to be,” Taheri said. “This helped AMI create the e-Tint technology for head-mounted displays, and ambient and intense light management for the warfighter. It is the reason that AMI’s CTRL Eyewear is now the only electronic military grade eyewear in the Army’s Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL). It took 25 years for the consumer electronics companies working on advanced electronic AR glasses to realize this need.”

Most recently, AMI has set its sights on expanding its technologies beyond near eye applications to the commercial automotive and architectural sectors. The company plans to leverage its preexisting connections to major automotive Tier 1 companies to apply electronically dimmable technology to replace electrochromic mirrors in electric cars, and to integrate sunroofs with switchable glazing technology. These measures will help maintain more consistent temperature control and extend battery life in electric vehicles.

“With the advent of electric cars, what [the auto industry] is really starting to want is this switchable glazing that can be applied to the glazing in the vehicle to stop the car from heating up when it’s parked,” Taheri said. “Heat can be a big drain on an electric car battery when you are trying to cool it down and having a sunroof that ‘switches’ makes a big difference there.”

Taheri said he credits his company’s collaboration with AFRL for giving AMI a head start in this field.

“Because of our interaction with AFRL, AMI is now the main supplier of the much-needed dimming element to many of these top tier companies,” Taheri said. “In that same tone, I genuinely believe that the work currently being performed for the AFRL [with Dr. Lange and his team] is also decades ahead of its time. I have no doubt that it will be the solution to some of the problems not yet realized in the consumer market.”

The company’s commercial expansion can only mean good things for the future of AFRL, Lange said, as the development of any new industry technology can provide fresh avenues for meeting DOD supply chain needs.

“It’s so important to continue to support our industrial base at all levels in order for them to be successful,” Lange said.

Hopper, Lange and Taheri said they look forward to future AFRL collaborations.

“Some of the coolest projects always come from the Air Force,” Taheri said. “My team always wants to gather in on those because they know there’s going to be a tough problem to solve.”

-Gail Forbes, Air Force Research Laboratory

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AFSOC Hosts Semi-Annual SAF/FM Executive Session

Sunday, April 23rd, 2023

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —

Carlos Rodgers, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Comptroller, recently met with senior leaders here to discuss the strategic issues and priorities impacting the financial management career field.

The meeting was hosted by Air Force Special Operations Command at the Joint Operations Planning Center for members of the Executive Session.

“The AFSOC team provided exceptional planning support and created an environment that drove the success of this session,” said Rodgers.

During the three-day executive session, FM leaders engaged in detailed discussions on the future design of financial management functions. The participants covered topics such as resource management optimization, budgeting in the garrison and deployed environments, and enhancing customer service.

“We need to achieve these goals while balancing audit requirements, automating processes, improving data analytics capabilities, and maintaining a highly trained, diverse, and inclusive workforce.” said Rodgers.

Events like these can help improve the future of the Air Force by ensuring commanders have the resources they need to properly handle the mission in today’s shifting operational and constrained financial environment.

Additionally, timely and accurate delivery of financial services allows Airmen and Guardians to focus on the mission instead of the cost of how to accomplish the mission.

Furthermore, these types of events can also improve business systems and processes that will lead to accurate financial statements, thereby driving increased confidence with Congress and the American taxpayer.

“The overarching intent of the session is to improve the delivery of financial management services and decision support across the DAF,” said Rodgers. “With a focus on driving progress toward the vision set out in the DAF FM Strategic Plan, the attendees reviewed the progress, re-vectored as necessary, and established a clear way ahead for each line of effort.”

Insights gained from this executive session are integrated into AFSOC and the Air Force’s overall strategy and operations.

Jeff Decocker, AFSOC director of Financial Management and Comptroller, pointed out that AFSOC stands at a strategic inflection point.

He also stated that the challenges that AFSOC face include great power competition, tightening fiscal constraints, and the accelerating pace of technological change. This ensures that AFSOC will overcome those obstacles, it starts with Airmen because they form the core of Air Force competitive advantage.

AFSOC efforts are focused on providing forces ready to generate advantage in competition, enable the joint force in conflict, and respond to crises while remaining engaged in countering violent extremist organizations.

“The Department of the Air Force must invest in operational capabilities that protect our ability to deter conflict and project power against pacing challenges,” said Rodgers. “Financial management is at the core of our ability to accelerate these investments.”

Innovation is an integral part of the Air Commando culture and that extends to the Comptroller community.

Hurlburt Field is leading an initiative to improve financial customer service across the Air Force. The 1st Special Operations Comptroller Squadron created an appointment-based system enabling a virtual face-to-face meeting between the customer and the member using Microsoft Teams. This innovative approach gives time back to the customer enhancing mission accomplishment.

AFSOC FM is also partnering with our U.S. Army and United States Special Operations Command counterparts to implement financial approaches to impose cost, reduce purchasing power, and decrease our adversaries’ operational efficiency. Understanding how our adversaries move, store, and use resources can be a powerful deterrent for our commanders to apply down range.

Many innovations are being brought to fruition by Airmen, Guardians, and senior leaders throughout the Air and Space Force.

“The DAF FM Executive Session is a critical element in maintaining the momentum toward building the future FM organizations and capabilities needed by the Department of the Air Force,” said Rodgers. “This executive session was an essential step in improving financial management across the Air and Space Force.”

By U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Alysa Knott

1st Special Operations Wing

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445th AW Participates in Total-Force Trauma Care Training?

Saturday, April 22nd, 2023

CINCINNATI (AFNS) —

Airmen with the 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron integrated with the Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills program to conduct trauma and critical care training at the Cincinnati Municipal Airport April 6.

The five-person AES team helped train critical care air transport teams who are part of the C-STARS program at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center while also maintaining aeromedical evacuation proficiency.

“Today was about getting CCATT crews to experience flying on the plane and what it’s like to be up in the air with patients,” said Capt. Brianne Koessel, 445th AES flight nurse. “It’s a lot different taking care of patients on the ground versus up in the air where it’s definitely a lot tighter quarters and limited supplies, and you definitely have to manage your resources very effectively for you to be successful in taking care of these patients.”

CCATT Airmen transported six mannequin patients from the UC medical center and provided care for them while working through several situations.

“There are different scenarios that will happen during phases of flight,” said Capt. Josh Boswell, C-STARS CCATT instructor. “There are different stressors that come along with patient care that happens on takeoff, once you get to altitude, on landing. There are different things that will be thrown at them for them to mitigate and respond to in flight, depending on what’s going on with their patient and the injury pattern that this patient has come with.

“They’ll have to be able to work through those problems and figure out what to do to safely keep that patient going through a flight,” Boswell said, who is also a critical care and emergency nurse. “Then we will land. We’ll load them back up into the bus. We’ll transition back here [UC Medical Center], and then they will hand off to a trauma bay as a simulated role for the facility.”

The Airmen exercised trauma care aboard an Air National Guard C-130J Hercules from the 123rd Airlift Wing out of Louisville, Kentucky, while also experiencing a combat takeoff and landing.

“It’s a lot different being in a simulator versus being on the ground,” Koessel said. “We did those tactical maneuvers, so we definitely felt things a little bit differently. Even if you’re in a fuselage where you have it all set up, you feel the stresses of flight because you get dehydrated a lot faster. You feel that vibration. It can tire you out.”

The training wasn’t only beneficial for medical Airmen but for the C-130 Guard crew as well.

“It keeps us up to speed in case we have to do this real world,” said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Geary, 165th Operations Support Squadron aircraft loadmaster.

Speaking about his unit, Geary explained, “We were doing an exercise in Guam recently, and we actually had somebody injured and had to do an evacuation of this injured person. Training like this does get us prepared for stuff in real world.”

This was the first time the 445th Airlift Wing trained alongside the C-STARS program with the hopes of more in the future.

“It’s really cool to have that partnership established,” Koessel explained.

A partnership that extends past a Reserve aeromedical evacuation unit.

“We had active duty. We had Guard. We had Reserve,” Koessel continued. “It was really a total force kind of thing today. It was really neat”

The C-STARS program is a 14-day course at UC that trains between 12 to 15 Air Force medical professionals each course with 14 classes held annually.

Story by Amanda Dick, 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Photos by MSgt Patrick O’Reilly

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Stories of Service: TACP turning the tide of battle

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —

Some missions require exceedingly specialized skills and knowledge to be successful in highly contested environments. To win in these environments, highly trained battlefield Airmen embed with Army, Navy and Marine units to provide lethal airpower in the fight.

During a deployment in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel and Resolute Support, one such Air Force Special Warfare Tactical Air Control Party Specialist Tech. Sgt. Cam Kelsch, put years of training and preparation into action by providing guided precision strike airpower as close as 35 meters away to turn the tide of battle against an overwhelming enemy ambush.

In the span of six hours, with no regard for his own safety, he stepped into heavy enemy fire, and directed dozens of 40 mm and 105 mm rounds, two 500-lbs. bombs and saved the life of a wounded teammate … even after being shot himself in the chest plate.

Kelsch, alongside Army Rangers and Afghan special forces, were directed to find a high-value target in enemy-held territory. With clear skies and the moon’s illumination sitting high at 90%, Kelsch’s team made first contact with enemy forces outside of the target compound.

According to Kelsch, the contact resulted in a small firefight that quickly neutralized the enemy.

As the team successfully secured the target compound and interdicted the targeted individual, the force continued to encounter small enemy forces. Intelligence gathered during the operation within the compound led Kelsch and his team to believe there was a second high-value target nearby.

Due to the brightness of the night, Kelsch utilized the oversight of an AC-130-U “Spooky” gunship to develop a low-profile route for the assault force to maneuver to the next target compound: a creek bed with a 1-foot-wide path.

“When we were down in the creek bed, it was pitch black because we were covered in trees, and there were high walls on either side of us,” Kelsch said.

Then … chaos.

“It was like a bomb went off,” Kelsch said. “It was so bright and looked like fireballs going off all around me.”

Kelsch and his team were ambushed by enemy forces using assault rifles, fragmentation grenades and belt-fed machine guns.

“The fire was so overwhelming, I couldn’t stick my head out,” Kelsch said. “Bullets were ricocheting; dirt was being kicked up.”

Another teammate called out the position of the attackers … a mere 40 meters away.

“I realized that I had to get eyes on target, so I had to leave the protection of cover,” Kelsch said.

With no regard for his own safety, Kelsch exposed himself to fire to conduct danger close air strikes from the AC-130 with 40mm rounds to suppress the threat, several only 35 meters away from his position.

“If it weren’t for the true competency of that AC-130 crew, I wouldn’t be here today,” Kelsch said. “The aircrew really brought their A-game that night and made sure we got out of there.”

With a moment without fire in all directions, Kelsch and his ground force commander seized the opportunity to recover their wounded teammate. While dragging him to safety, Kelsch took a direct hit to the magazine on his chest rack the plate in his armor caught the bullet.

Upon recovering his wounded teammate and receiving more enemy fire, Kelsch opted to upgrade to the 105 mm rounds from the gunship, still danger close to his fighting position. The effective munitions proved enough to allow Kelsch and his team to fall back roughly 100 meters, but not before suffering an Afghan casualty.

At that time, the team elected to call for extraction.

To ensure aircraft could land so close to the ambush site, Kelsch directed a coordinated attack from two F-16 Fighting Falcons using precision-guided 500-lbs. bombs, neutralizing all remaining threats.

In the end, Kelsch’s actions played a role in completing a successful mission, suppressing multiple prepared forces and saving the lives of the joint special operations forces members. In 2019, for his gallantry in action that day, Kelsch was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor in combat.

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, History | 3 Comments »

CSAF Visits 179th Airlift Wing Ahead of Historic Mission Conversion

Sunday, April 16th, 2023

MANSFIELD-LAHM AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ohio (AFNS) —

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. visited with Airmen and leadership at the 179th Airlift Wing at Mansfield-Lahm Air National Guard Base April 2, ahead of their historic mission conversion to a cyberspace wing.

During his visit, Brown met with Ohio National Guard leadership, conducted a roundtable with junior enlisted Airmen and hosted an all-call to express his support for the wing and highlight the vital role the 179th AW plays in accelerating change for the future.

“We are in the most dynamic environment we’ve ever faced so we have to be engaged in change and I can’t think of a place in our Air Force facing more change than right here in Mansfield,” Brown said. “Cyber engagements happen daily; they are happening right now. That’s why what is changing here and what you will do is so important, not just for our force, but for our nation.”

The Air Force selected the 179th AW to be the Air National Guard’s first cyberspace wing in the country, Aug. 25, 2022, and has been in the process of converting the wing, infrastructure and mission since.

“Mansfield has a unique opportunity. What you are doing here hasn’t been done. You can write the playbook for others to follow,” Brown said. “It’s important for us to engage here as you drive that change.”

Brown emphasized the important place Mansfield has in shaping the role of cyber operations in the Air Force. The theme of change and how Airmen must embrace and lean into it for future success was integrated into each part of the visit.

“A critical piece of my strategic approach is the key word … collaboration. As Airmen, we all need to be multi-capable to get the mission done,” Brown said. “We do not play to lose. I’m in it to win it and my job is supporting you so you can focus on doing your job.”

Before his departure, Brown gave Airmen the opportunity to ask questions before concluding his visit. He also thanked the wing for their resilience through the transitions they have made and will face. Brown reiterated his confidence in the wing’s ability to meet the needs of tomorrow.

“As you go through this historic change, don’t give up. It’s not about what we say that makes a difference, it’s about what we do,” Brown said. “I trust every one of you and I have your back.”

Story by Capt Jordyn Craft, 179th Airlift Wing

Photos by MSgt Joe Harwood

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Raptor Pilots Test AF’s Next-Gen Helmet

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Developmental flight tests are underway for the Air Force’s new Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet here.

Engineers with the 46th Test Squadron and the 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron oversee the helmet’s testing. Approximately five F-22A Raptor pilots from the 301st Fighter Squadron, a Reserve unit with the 43rd Fighter Squadron here, fly with the new lighter, cooler and more readily equipped helmet.

The NGFWH program goal is to provide pilots a more comfortable, stable, and balanced platform to accommodate helmet-mounted devices usage without imposing neck strain and discomfort to the user.

“It is common knowledge fighter pilots have long term neck and back issues,” said Maj. Brett Gedman, from the 301st Fighter Squadron. “Therefore, having a lightweight helmet, designed with the operator in mind, will have positive long-term impacts on the health of our fighter pilots during and after service.”

This series of tests marks the second round of developmental tests with the LIFT-manufactured helmet since it was awarded the contract in 2022. The NGFWH is set to replace the more than 40-year-old current model, known as HGU-55, used by all Air Force aircrew except F-35 flyers.

After each flight, the pilots report any feedback they have about wearability, visibility, communication, etc. The engineers compile that data to provide to the manufacturers. So far, outside of minor tweaks, the feedback is positive.

“The design of the helmet allows for unparalleled visibility, mobility, and comfort in the cockpit,” “The increased visibility combined with the mobility it provides made it a massive improvement over what I am used to flying with. It is clear this has been a generational leap in technology that the fighter pilot deserves, which is long overdue.”

Gedman said those factors are critical when operating in a high-G within visual range environment.

“With near peer threats narrowing the gap daily, it is critical the fighter pilots have every tactical advantage possible,” said Gedman. “Details matter, and it is coming down to the smallest details including the gear we wear.”

Along with Air Force aircrew, the new helmet also has a great effect on Aircrew Flight Equipment technicians. They are responsible for preparing, equipping, and maintaining the helmets for the aircrew.

Many flight advancements are now standard on the new helmet such as like night-vision goggle mounts and an adjustable occipital basket. With the legacy helmet, HGU-55, these items are added manually, adjusted, and fitted to the aircrew and take hours to prepare. To add a NVG mount to the legacy helmet, an AFE Airmen uses power tools to drill into the helmet to secure the bracket.

“From a pre-flight and build up standpoint, the new helmet is much better,” said Airman 1st Class Matthew Crouse, a 325th Operations Support Squadron AFE technician responsible NGFWH maintenance during the testing here. “It makes our job much easier in the long run, but because its so easy to adjust, we can make corrections if they are needed.”

When the Raptor squadrons leave Eglin soon for Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, the test engineers will follow for a new round testing with new pilots. Eventually, the tests will spread out to other aircraft and aircrew. The next aircraft type scheduled to test the helmets will be the HC-130J and B-1B Lancer.

By Samuel King Jr.

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Reserve Command Announces $10K Bonus for Prior-Service Enlisted Airmen

Wednesday, April 12th, 2023

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) —

To remain competitive in a tight labor market and retain valuable talent, Air Force Reserve Command is offering a $10,000 incentive bonus to fully-qualified, prior-service enlisted Airmen who sign up to fill open positions and agree to a three-year service commitment.

One of several incentives available to those who join the Air Force Reserve, this particular program opens a wider aperture for recruiters to capture qualified Airmen separating from the active-duty Air Force.

“The Air Force Reserve affiliation incentive is a clear demonstration of how we value those who continue to serve and are ‘ready for more,’” said Brig. Gen. Lisa M. Craig, Air Force Recruiting Service deputy commander. “Ready for more time with family, work-life balance, community involvement, educational goals and connections. At the same time, we get to retain the knowledge and experience of that prior-service Airman.”

Historically, the Air Force Reserve has targeted a recruiting mix of 70% prior-service and 30% non-prior-service members. This incentive bonus aligns with helping to achieve this balance and helping the Reserve meet its annual recruiting goal and overall end-strength.

“This bonus is one of many policies and incentive adjustments to help the Air Force Reserve ensure we can recruit the quality Airmen we need to safeguard our combat readiness,” said Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, AFRS commander. “The move is also important to encourage our Airmen separating from active service to ‘stay blue’ and continue to use their skills and training for the nation as part of the Reserve.”

As recruiting continues to be a challenge across all services, the Air Force Reserve missed last year’s goal of 8,200 by nearly 2,000 accessions. Providing an incentivized opportunity for fully-qualified enlisted prior-service members or Inactive Ready Reserve members to transition to the Reserve Component is one tool to help close the gap in reaching this year’s goal of 9,300 accessions.

“In order to compete with the private sector and other military services in appealing to and retaining qualified talent, we need to have all available resources at our disposal,” said Col. Ephod Shang, 367th Recruiting Group commander and director of AFRC Recruiting. “The Air Force Reserve is such an attractive option to continue to fulfill one’s desire to serve and maintain some very tangible benefits, all while performing on a part-time basis. I highly encourage individuals separating from the active duty to engage with a recruiter to learn more about what additional benefits and incentives they may qualify for.”

Active-duty and IRR Airmen interested in joining the Reserve should contact a recruiter using the Aim High app, visit AFReserve.com or call 800-257-1212 to learn more about this and many other opportunities to serve in the Air Force Reserve.

By Master Sergeant Bobby Pilch, 367th Recruiting Group, Air Force Reserve Command

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