Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft arrive at RAF Fairford, England, Sept. 12, 2025. The arrival of the bombers and members of the 307th Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, La., highlighted the 501st Combat Support Wing’s ability to support Cobra Warrior 25.2 operations. (U.S. Air Force video by Tech. Sgt. Jessica Avallone)
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Barbato, 420th Air Base Group logistics readiness flight chief, checks documents in front of a C-5M Super Galaxy at RAF Fairford, England, Sept. 10, 2025. Barbato helped coordinate the main body arrival procedures in preparation of Cobra Warrior 25.2. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Adam Enbal)
The 420th Air Base Squadron (ABS) Weather Flight is increasing its capability to grow into its role as a Pathfinder unit for the 501st Combat Support Wing. The team is strengthening forecasting coverage, acquiring equipment and building a strong network with United States and United Kingdom weather partners.
A key part of that progress was the recent arrival of the Tactical Meteorological Observing System (TMOS) on Sept. 12, 2025. This was a result of an impromptu success story developed at RAF Fairford’s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2025. Forecasting for RIAT is led by a UK Met Office (UKMO) team embedded with forecasters from the 420 ABS. Unfortunately, the 420 ABS lost communication with their primary observing...
