For the first time in 15 years, maintainers at Robins AFB, Ga., are fitting an F-15E with a new rear half. Last August, during a training exercise near Shaw AFB, S.C., this Strike Eagle’s left engine ingested a bird, which led to a major fire that severely damaged the aircraft. A team from Robins’ 402nd Maintenance Wing traveled to Shaw and partly disassembled the aircraft for shipment to Robins. The Aerospace Sustainment Directorate at Robins managed to acquire the last-available F-15E replacement aft fuselage section in the US inventory. Robins maintainers have already modified the fuselage section so that it can fit the engine type that the F-15Es operate at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., the damaged aircraft’s home station. The repair work began in January is expected to be completed in December. (Robins report by Wayne Crenshaw)
A new Space Force partnership with Blue Origin to expand payload processing capacity at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., will allow the launch range to support as many as 16 more missions per year.
