A USAF aeromedical evacuation control team flew 11 of the 14 survivors of the Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan on Feb. 18 to Germany within hours of the crash that killed eight personnel, including Air Force TSgt. Scott Duffman. The airmen kept the troops stable during the long flight to Germany aboard a C-17 airlifter. The survivors had head and chest injuries as well as multiple fractures.
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.