Air Force, industry, state, and local officials on Tuesday ceremoniously opened the new Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Technology Center near Tinker AFB, Okla. Once fully completed, the MROTC will comprise 17 hangars, including 1.6 million square feet of back-shop, industrial, logistics support, classroom, and research space. Finished since construction began last spring is the first hangar, where Boeing and Air Force technicians will perform system upgrades for E-3 AWACs aircraft. Officials expect to see two more hangars completed in mid-2008.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.