The Air Force sent five C-130s and four C-17s to airlift more than 145,000 pounds of food, medical supplies, heaters, vehicle parts and office supplies for relief efforts in Pakistan from Dec. 9-16. As of December 16, the USAF has airlifted more than 10 million pounds of relief supplies to the region affected by the October earthquake.
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.