Air Mobility Command had to rush delivery of 21 parts from eight different stateside bases to Southwest Asia to repair 14 C-130 tactical airlifters damaged in microburst winds that turned the air brown with sand and rocks, according to SMSgt. Greg House, line chief with the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. A damage assessment revealed 56 engines filled with sand and rocks, 25 aircraft windows shattered, and 14 damaged sensors, reports Roger Drinnon of AMC public affairs. The 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB, Ill., orchestrated the delivery of the replacement parts with AMC’s Logistics Readiness Division and worked with in-theater mobility assets to cover the C-130 workload with a combination of C-17s and C-5s. The parts were in place within 84 hours and the C-130s returned to service within a matter of days.
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
