The Air Force plans, in January, to name a new-build C-17 the Spirit of Ronald Reagan. The aircraft will be dedicated at ceremonies in California. The first person honored with a C-17 dedication was Bob Hope, in recognition of his many years of entertaining troops overseas. USAF has named other C-17s for noteworthy individuals, such as Medal of Honor recipient Air Force Sgt. John L. Levitow, and for bases, cities, states, regions, and even groups, such as the Spirit of America’s Veterans, and concepts, such as Spirit of Freedom. Look here for a list of approved names for active duty C-17s.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…