Officials at Robins AFB, Ga., have opened a new facility for testing software for the C-5 transport. The C-5 Integrated Aircraft Test Environment is a 2,200-square foot, two-story building that houses the cockpit salvaged from a C-5B that crashed at Dover AFB, Del., in April 2006. Engineers will test software in the facility without having to tie up actual C-5s in flight tests. “I expect we will get a lot of taxpayer value out of this building and the software we will produce,” said Brig. Gen. Lee Levy, commander of Robins’ 402nd Maintenance Wing, during the Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony. While the cockpit was wired in time for the ceremony to have some basic functionality, it will take another year before the cockpit is fully functional, said Levy. (Robins report by Wayne Crenshaw)
More than 100 B-21s will be needed if the nation is to avoid creating a high demand/low capacity capability, panelists said on a Hudson Institute webinar. The B-21's flexibility, stealth, range and payload will be in high demand for a wide range of missions, both traditional and new.