Installing C-17 Regularity:
Air Mobility Command has changed its modus operandi for C-17 operations in Southwest Asia—placing two squadrons in the theater for an entire 120-day air expeditionary force rotation. AMC leaders found that the old method of sending C-17 squadrons in for about 15 days of flying then sending them home created an unnecessarily high operations tempo for the air and ground crews. The new approach, which started last month, slows the tempo and provides continuity. Lt. Col. Lenney Richoux, 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron commander, said now he can organize “fliers into hard crews”—two pilots and one loadmaster that always fly together.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.