S
ome 60 airmen and several C-17 airlifters from Charleston AFB, S.C., recently deployed to take part in Bright Star 07, flying US and Egyptian soldiers from Kentucky to Egypt. First they provided airdrop opportunities in Kentucky, and then airlifted the troops to Egypt to complete the US Central Command-sponsored exercise. In Egypt, the C-17 force again provided airdrop training for the paratroopers. A fuel leak prevented one of the original C-17s from flying out of Kentucky, but Shauna Heathman reports that quick work by Charleston generated another aircraft and crew, putting the new airlifter with its load of soldiers only three hours behind the other two C-17s.
The Air Force wants to spend more than a half billion dollars through 2031 on a new protection system designed for cargo and refueling aircraft that features onboard sensors and weapons to track and take down enemy missiles and drones.