The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing will become the test wing for new fuels mobility support equipment during its stint in Southwest Asia. USAF plans to install the equipment by Jan. 3, followed by an operational utility evaluation. The new system will require fewer personnel to operate it and fewer storage bladders and mobile refueling trucks. It shortens the fueling process by pumping fuel directly from storage bladders into servicing platforms. Officials expect a big improvement over the 1960s-vintage equipment currently in use.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
