To prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Rita, the Air Force is moving aircraft out of the projected path of the storm and moving personnel into readiness positions to respond after landfall, service officials said. Sixteen F-16s and one C-26 from Ellington Field in Houston were evacuated, and two C-5 Galaxy aircraft with the 433rd Airlift Wing, Lackland AFB, Tex., are set to assist with evacuation efforts in the vicinity of Houston and Beaumont. The 433rd AW also dispatched an aeromedical evacuation command and control team to Beaumont to standby for medical evacuation operations. USAF also has five C-17s, six C-130s, three C-5s, and two Contingency Response Groups standing by on three-hour alert.
The Air Force plans to add external weapons pylons on the B-1B bomber, both to increase the number of aircraft that can test hypersonic missiles and expand the Lancer’s loadout as USAF transitions to the B-21 bomber.