Quick Work to Aid Pave Low Crews:
An urgent request from Air Force Special Operations Command to get some new armor for its MH-53 Pave Lows sparked fast work by the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. Pave Low aircrews had discovered that the traditional ballistic blankets used on the floor of the helicopters had, over time, become susceptible to small arms fire. The ALC took the AFSOC requirement and, in nine days, had a contract for new armor. Within three months, the first test kit had been installed and, after flight testing, production started. According to Air Force journalist Damian Housman, the entire process from start to installation took only “a spectacular eight months.”
Former AFCENT Commander Reflects on Lessons of Epic Fury
Sept. 13, 2026
Operation Epic Fury marked the U.S. military's largest air campaign in a generation, with strikes on 13,000 targets in Iran before the first in a series of shaky ceasefires began in April. Now, even as hostilities continue to flare up, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France sees several clear lessons that…
