After winning raves for bringing in the C-5 that crashed at Dover AFB, Del., April 3 in such a way that the crew and passengers walked away, the aircrew now stands condemned by an Air Force accident investigation board. According to the board, the pilots and flight engineers failed to follow standard emergency procedures for the situation the crew faced. A statement from Air Mobility Command says, among several indictments, that pilots and flight engineers left a fully functional No. 3 engine in idle while using the throttle for the No. 2 engine they had shut down, and no one briefed, considered, or used a proper flap setting.
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.