award winners

325th Fighter Wing leaders arranged for the 2012 annual award winners to witness a subscale aerial target recovery by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron Thursday. “The trip was a great opportunity for our award winners, and provided incentive for others to strive for during the year,” said Chief Master Sgt. Raymond DeVite, 325th FW command chief. The group boarded a missile retriever boat and headed into the bay. Once the drone was in the water, the group watched as a diver was deployed to wrangle the drone and allow a crane to load it onto the ship. The group also received a tour of the ship before disembarking. The 82nd ATRS is the only Subscale Aerial Target provider in the Air Force, housing nearly 30 BQM-167A remote controlled drones, which are water and land recoverable. The drones are a means to test and evaluate air-to-air weapons, the effectiveness of counter measures during sorties and the effectiveness of the weapons systems. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Andrea Valencia)