North Carolina Air National Guardsmen operating with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, completed the first airdrop of their deployment last week by delivering a 12,000-pound forklift to an Army remote forward operating base in the country with one of their C-130s. “The reason we dropped the forklift is due to the fact of the prevalence of [improvised explosive devices] in the area and on the roads,” said Maj. Jon Locklear, aircraft commander for the Nov. 23 mission. He added, “Being able to airdrop makes a big difference. It’s something we really look forward to.” Locklear said the Hercules aircrews train for airdrops “day-in, day-out back home,” which for these Air Guardsmen is the 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte. He credited the riggers, loadmasters, mission planners, and other airmen who made this mission a success. (Bagram report by SSgt. David Salanitri)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.