Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, home to aircraft including the C-17 and F-22, on Sept. 1 became the first Air Force base in the Pacific Rim to blend a thermally stable additive known as Plus 100 to its JP-8 aviation fuel. The additive is said to prevent engine coking and carbon buildup. Preventing these is expected to greatly reduce engine maintenance. (Elmendorf report by A1C Christopher Gross)
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…