McGuire AFB, N.J., one of USAF’s new hubs for shipments to Southwest Asia (McGuire and Dover AFB, Del., have supplanted Charleston AFB, S.C. in that role) sent off its first “Red Ball Express” flight on New Year’s Eve. The Air Force inaugurated an earlier “Red Ball Express,” utilizing C-141s flying out of Travis AFB, Calif., to support operations in Southeast Asia. Late last year, USAF announced it would shift its SWA cargo flights from Charleston to the northeast bases to save time and money. McGuire now flies the new C-17 airlifter and the KC-10 tanker/cargo aircraft.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
