The 
Air Force airlift of an 8,000-pound elephant from The Alaska Zoo to a sanctuary in California went well. SSgt. Francesca Popp reports that a mixed active duty and Air National Guard C-17 aircrew from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, flew Maggie to her new home near Travis AFB, Calif., where she will join other elephants and be able to roam about 30 acres. She traveled in a specially reinforced 10,000-pound crate, accompanied by her Alaskan trainers. The aircrew planned the flight to make the takeoff and flight as easy on the elephant as possible, which, according to Capt. Blake Johnson, the 517th Airlift Squadron mission commander for the project, “seemed comfortable the entire time.” (As we reported earlier, the Air Force is getting reimbursed.)
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”