A US Air Force C-17 flew 110 Iraqi children and 97 parents and guardians from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad, Iraq, to support Operation Smile—an international non-governmental organization that helps provide corrective surgery for cleft palate and cleft lip birth defects. Leaders of Operation Smile contacted DOD to request assistance to provide safe airlift for Iraqi patients and their parents. Many of the kids had never been in an aircraft before, much less a C-17. “You see all the children with the smiles on their faces. I’m glad to be a part of this,” said Lt. Col. Chris Carlsen, the aircraft’s commander.
Sticker Shock Drags Out USAF’s E-7 Negotiations with Boeing
April 18, 2024
While a deal on the E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management jet may come soon, negotiations are stuck on the high price Boeing is asking for the development jets, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said recently.