The “boom experts” for USAF’s KC-135 aerial tanker reside at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker AFB, Okla., in two shops whose sole function is to ensure each aircraft’s refueling boom—the fuel transfer tube—is up to snuff. In one shop, 22 mechanics—certified in the unlikely bedfellows of electronics, hydraulics, and sheet metal—overhaul the booms when needed. A minor job requires about 700 manhours; a more extensive overhaul may take 1,000 manhours. In the other shop, four mechanics perform periodic depot maintenance. For that, the boom comes off and, over 15 days, the mechanics replace bearings, check cable systems, and remove paint to check for cracks, among other fixes. In its normal workload, the boom crews may process 12 booms per month.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
