The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a clean-up order “compelling the Air Force” to “properly conduct” a cleanup of Tyndall AFB, Fla. EPA put the base on its Superfund National Priorities List in 1997, and, according to an EPA release, more than 50 sites have potential contamination. They include landfills, fire training areas, fuel and pesticide storage areas, and vehicle maintenance shops. The 44-page order spells out a series of steps and time frames.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.