The Air Force has some reassurances for members of the Senate Armed Services who are rattled by DOD’s plan to drop the F136 engine. Gen. John Corley, Vice Chief of Staff, noted at a recent hearing that the Air Force fleet possesses approximately 10,300 General Electric engines and 7,800 Pratt and Whitney engines. These power everything from fighters and bombers to trainers, helicopters, and airlifters. He added that both companies have made exceptional products for the force, and that the demand for their work won’t go away any time soon. “There’s still big business out there,” Corley said.
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…