AF, Navy team on tower

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – In a move to save money, the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group teamed up with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Naval Support Activity Panama City, to utilize the Navy’s recently-built communications tower to replace the 53rd WEG’s unserviceable, outdated Gulf Range Drone Control System tower. These towers are essential for triangulating communications for controlling unmanned drones over the Gulf of Mexico. This innovative investment took about a year to accomplish and will save hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Constructing a new tower would have cost an estimated $700,000, and leasing a commercial tower would cost approximately $9,000 annually. (Source: AFNS, 02/22/17)