As weapons advance so must the pylons that carry and connect them to the aircraft. The 309th Commodities Maintenance Squadron at Ogden Air Logistics Center, Utah, is upgrading the pylons for F-16 fighters. The 309th maintainers remove the existing wiring harnesses and machine the pylons to accommodate the new, larger harness. They reassemble the pylon, and then perform electrical tests “to ensure everything is working as planned and finished it off with a paint job,” says Steve Morlock, 309th CMXS armament flight chief. Using a new lean process, developed by the 309th, they are turning the pylons faster by several days.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
