Four KC-135s and airmen from the Arizona Air National Guard’s 161st Air Refueling Wing on May 31 returned from a deployment to Andersen AFB, Guam. The unit, based at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, spent three weeks supporting Pacific operations, refueling aircraft stationed and deployed to the area, according to a 161st ARW release. “We were supporting bomber aircraft in the region, which in turn support strategic deterrence,” 197th Air Refueling Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Dean Owen said in the release.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.