An Air Force Reserve Command aircrew on Sept. 26 flew the C-141 Starlifter’s last combat mission—ferrying cargo to Europe, then patients out of Southwest Asia. AFRC’s 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the last operational C-141 wing in USAF, and it is now transitioning to the C-5 airlifter, with the first to arrive in early October. Since 2002, the 40-year-old C-141 has flown 70 percent of the sick and wounded from the SWA theater. The 445th will continue flying C-141s—within the US borders—until spring 2006.
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.