Air Force Special Operations Command now has two operational squadrons at its new western base. Officials of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB, N.M., on May 16 activated the 318th Special Operations Squadron. The 318th SOS will fly light and medium aircraft, including the PC-12, that AFSOC airmen term “non-standard aviation,” according to a May 19 release. The New Mexico base received the first of 10 planned PC-12 aircraft in January. The 318th designation is not new to Air Force special operators; its colors last flew at Pope AFB, N.C., in the 1970s, but its earlier history includes duty with the World War II air commandos. (Cannon report by Capt. Mae-Li Allison)
While the Sentinel ICBM program writ large is undergoing a major restructure due to cost and schedule overages, prime contractor Northrop Grumman is touting progress on milestones with the missile itself.
