Late Friday USAF announced plans related to basing for C-17, C-27J, and MC-12W aircraft. Additional C-17 candidate bases are Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport at Martinsburg; Memphis International Airport, Tenn.; and Stewart International Airport, N.Y.—all must undergo an environmental impact analysis, following which, in November, USAF will announce preferred locations and expects to determine final basing in June 2011. On the C-27J, USAF released the basing criteria to Congress and state officials and expects to issue a list of candidate bases for formal training units in May, followed by a list for operational locations in June. For the MC-12W, USAF expects to begin site surveys and environmental assessments immediately to winnow the list of candidate bases—Altus AFB, Okla.; Beale AFB, Calif.; Key Field, Miss.; Langley AFB, Va.; Robins AFB, Ga.; and Whiteman AFB, Mo.—down to a preferred list, slated for release in late summer and followed by the final selections in spring 2011. (C-17 release; C-27J release; MC-12W release)
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.