Congress has been told repeatedly at hearings over the past two weeks that the C-17 is being ridden hard. That also means there’ll be an increase in depot work. Officials at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia told the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph that the C-17 workload at the depot will double next year, partially due to modification of the airlifter but also due to the high optempo. They predict that 150 workers will work 208,000 man-hours on the C-17 in Fiscal 2006. The following year, the newspaper reports that some 400 workers will put in 512,000 hours.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…