Air Force 
transport aircraft dropped 3,800 container delivery system supply bundles in August to troops at remote forward operating bases in Southwest Asia, establishing yet another airdrop record. The August airdrops topped July’s mark of 3,600 bundles delivered, the previous record. Mobility airmen averaged more than 99 tons delivered per day in August, which equates to about six million pounds of food, water, equipment, and supplies for the month. “These airdrops are critical to sustaining ground forces at austere locations where other means of re-supply aren’t feasible,” said Col. David Almand, director of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center’s air mobility division, which coordinates, tasks, and executes in-theater air mobility missions. (AMC report by Roger Drinnon)
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.