The first C-17 airlifter assigned to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and named the “Spirit of Hawaii Ke Aloha,” has been painted by renowned aviation artist Keith Ferris for the Air Force Art Collection. Boeing, maker of the C-17, and Pratt & Whitney, engine producer, sponsored the artwork. The painting, which Ferris calls “Waikiki Sunrise,” pictures the C-17 flying over southern Oahu, above Diamond Head crater and Waikiki Beach. TSgt. Chris Vadnais reports that C-17 crews say the painting is “incredibly accurate.” Lt. Col. Scott Shapiro, 535th Airlift Squadron commander, says, “The weather’s right, the orientation of the jet is right, even the way the pilots are sitting is exactly right.”
Satellite manufacturer Apex announced it would launch a space-based interceptor demonstration next summer—the latest company to unveil plans to prototype technology that could contribute to the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense project.
