Looking for Dedicated Crew Chiefs: Aircraft maintainers at Moody AFB, Ga., plan to get back to the good-old days of the mid-1990s when the base formally taps maintainers who exhibit initiative, leadership, and technical skill in maintaining the base’s HC-130 and HH-60 aircraft as “dedicated crew chiefs,” according to Maj. Don Russell, 347th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. These “best maintainers,” who must be at least staff sergeants and usually would hold a seven-level rating in their job skill, will have their names stenciled on their aircraft.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.