Aircrews operating the Air Force’s new C-17 airlifter continue to sing its praises, even old-time C-130 drivers. Air Force Reservist and former C-130 pilot Maj. Bob Hagstrom, with the 732nd Airlift Squadron at McGuire AFB, N.J., spent three weeks flying the C-17 into austere—read that dirt, rocks, and sand—airstrips in Afghanistan. He called the C-17 an “enormous aircraft compared to the C-130,” and added, “It was awesome to see the aircraft’s maneuverability and capability in this environment.”
Golden Dome Details Begin to Emerge
Dec. 7, 2025
The Golden Dome air and missile defense shield to protect the United States will have some “operational capability” in 2028, the program’s leader said Dec. 6 at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
