Only two weeks after the Air Force issued the initial request for proposals for its CSAR-X combat search and rescue aircraft program, one of the strongest potential competitors—the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor—is out. The reason? The aircraft is overqualified. Boeing has decided the V-22’s speed and range take it beyond the CSAR-X requirements. The Boeing-Bell team still plans to compete a variant of the H-47 helicopter. (DR, 10/18/05)
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…