Airmen of Air Force Reserve Command’s 326th Airlift Squadron at Dover AFB, Del., flew their last C-5 flight on March 10. The 326th AS, part of the 512th Airlift Wing, is converting to the C-17 on April 1 and receives its first new airlifter in June. The squadron’s Reservists have flown and maintained the C-5 for 34 years. The C-5s are not leaving Dover, however, since one Reserve (709th AS) and one active (9th AS) squadron still will fly and maintain the mammoth airlifter.
It is critical that the Air Force move forward on the replacement for its E-4B “Doomsday” aircraft to keep the capability “viable” into the next decade and beyond, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told lawmakers May 8.