T
he Air Force recently supplied C-17s and airmen to oversee the loading of Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters onto the airlifters at Peterson AFB, Colo. Army National Guard soldiers from New York and Maryland had come to nearby Ft. Carson with their Chinooks to train at high altitude. Corey Dahl with the 21st Space Wing at Peterson reports that the C-17 can transport one Chinook, but it must be broken down, a process that takes 35 people about 10 to 18 hours. The C-17s were slated to deliver the 12 helicopters to Afghanistan for use in Operation Enduring Freedom. For Peterson, it was business as usual. “Basically anytime Ft. Carson is sending something overseas, it comes here,” said 2nd Lt. Carolyn Griffin, the officer in charge of air terminal operations at Peterson.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design the Air Force said.