The Natio
nal Research Council recently released a study concluding that adding “winglets,” those near-vertical wing tip extensions, to most cargo aircraft could save the Air Force millions of dollars in fuel costs, reports Stars and Stripes. The Air Force’s newest airlifter, the C-17 has winglets, but the NRC recommended more research to see if modifying them slightly would enhance fuel savings. It recommended adding winglets to KC-135 and KC-10 tankers and to the C-5 airlifter.
The Pentagon is significantly bolstering airpower near Venezuela, dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America, it said in an Oct. 24 statement. The announcement came just hours after U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and other U.S. assets flew near the Venezuelan coast on Oct. 23.

