With its first new C-17 awaiting replacement of a backup computer system, the airmen at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, who will operate the new airlifters as part of a joint active-Guard endeavor, flew their first real-world mission with a C-17 from Charleston AFB, S.C. The active 535th Airlift Squadron and Air National Guard 204th AS flew a humanitarian mission to aid victims of the Philippine mudslide. According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the replacement computer arrived before the rescue mission launched, but Hickam officials elected not to slow the effort further. As the Hawaii base gains its full complement of eight C-17s, it will also maintain a store of spare parts, including the aircraft’s many computer systems. ANG pilot Capt. Jason Mills said that with the C-17, PACAF’s “response time … is going to be much faster,” adding that the new airlifter will “move more in one event” than the base’s C-130 tactical airlifters.
The Air Force F-35As that participated in Operation Midnight Hammer—the June 22 strike against Iranian uranium enrichment and nuclear research facilities—conducted both suppression of enemy air defenses, also called SEAD, and provided fighter cover for the strike force as it departed Iran, the service acknowledged Nov. 24.
