This week’s tour of Malmstrom AFB, Mont., by DOD officials has produced no definitive answer as to whether the base will pick up a new mission being sought by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.). The Great Falls Tribune reports that seven officials from US Strategic Command and the National Guard Bureau looked over the facility Tuesday before proceeding to Helena for a chat with state National Guard officials. The Tribune also notes that lips were sealed as to what type of mission, now described as “classified.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.