The Air Force co-opted one of its newest airlifters to cut down a growing backlog of supplies needed urgently for coalition forces fighting the Taliban near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Air Force journalist Maj. Ann Peru Knabe reports that USAF C-130s normally make Operation Mountain Fury deliveries, but the need for multiple, large drops made the C-17 “perfect.” Loading up at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, a C-17 aircrew rigged recycled milk crates to cushion a load of more than 50,000 pounds, comprising 40 bundles of bullets, explosives, and rockets.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.