“The work ethic and dedication of [the KC-10 maintainers in Southwest Asia] is outstanding,” says MSgt. William Dorety, production supervisor for the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Dorety is one who would know. According to the Sand Script, Dorety has deployed 19 times during his 20-plus years in the Air Force and says, “I’ve never seen the same level of commitment as I’ve seen out of these young maintainers.” They perform all manner of maintenance—in 135 degree-heat on the flightline and hotter in the aircraft—on the KC-10s to ensure they can fly twice within 24 hours. (Read the feature in the Sand Script.)
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…