Airmen are learning how to drive the big boys—18-wheelers—of transportation at the Basic Combat Convoy Course at Lackland AFB, Tex. The airmen who graduate after mastering 18-wheel tractor-trailer supply trucks and gun trucks used for convoy supply missions, as well as combat lifesaver training, will go on to replace Army troops in Southwest Asia. USAF already has sent two air expeditionary truck detachments overseas and plans to graduate two more in two months. So far, the Air Force has trained about 1,200 airmen for convoy duty.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.