US airmen at RAF Fairford are now cleaning up after monsoon-like downpours in England in the last week caused about $200,000 worth of flood damage to the base’s facilities. The estimate includes 10 facilities and eight housing units as well as minor flood damage to RAF Welford, reports Stars and Stripes. Had base personnel not used sandbags and barriers to divert the heavy rainfall on July 20, nearly every house in Fairford’s 84-unit housing area could have flooded.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.