A tentative timeline unfurled last week by Air Force officials calls for deactivation of the first squadron of KC-135 tanker aircraft at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., in April 2008, reports the Grand Forks Herald. Officials completed a survey of the base for its new UAV mission and presented a preliminary transition plan (see above). They said that the Air Force would release a final plan some time this fall.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
