An Air Force UH-1N Huey took small arms fire and conducted an emergency landing during a training flight west of Washington, D.C., on Aug. 10. The Huey, part of the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md., was flying an instrument approach to the Manassas, Va., airport when it was hit by a bullet about 10 miles northwest, near Middleburg, Va., in affluent Loudon County. An aircrew member sustained a minor injury, but the helicopter, which was flying about 1,000 feet above ground level at the time, landed safely. The aircraft was damaged by the bullet, according to the statement.

The Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office and its partners want more than 60 teams to channel the speed and precision of the world’s top athletes as they chase a new standard in airworthy, 3D-printed plane parts. The “Advanced Manufacturing Olympics,” which are already underway and will end with a online showcase in October, will test the limits of innovative new manufacturing techniques that can lead to faster maintenance turnaround, cheaper upkeep, and more flexible flight operations. Sixty-four teams from industry, government, and academia are vying for a $1 million pot of prize money spread across five challenges.

Draft versions of the 2021 defense policy bill in both the House and Senate will keep enough legacy tankers in the Air Force to “bridge” the fleet to the point where the KC-46 will become fully operational without extensive stress on the military’s refueling backbone, the head of U.S. Transportation Command said. While the Air Force called for cutting 29 KC-135s and KC-10s, House and Senate versions of the 2021 defense policy bill block most of those retirements at a time when TRANSCOM boss Gen. Stephen R. Lyons says refueling is the most stressed part of his command. “We were about to reduce the active component tanker capacity by 30 percent or more against a force that’s already pressing deploy-to-dwell ratios,” Lyons said during a Foundation for the Defense of Democracies online event. “The leadership, the members on the Hill, were very attuned to the issue.”

The Air Force’s stealth bombers have returned to the Indo-Pacific. Three B-2s arrived Aug. 12 at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., for the first Spirit bomber task force since a January 2019 deployment to Hawaii. The deployment marks the first time B-2s have deployed to the Pacific since the service’s continuous bomber presence ended in April. “This Bomber Task Force is our National Defense Strategy in action,” Lt. Col. Christopher Conant, task force commander, said in a release. “We are sharpening our lethality while strengthening relationships with key allies, partners, and our sister-service teammates.”

Bomb builders at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, this week are testing weapons for F-35As, B-1s, and MQ-9s as part of an in-depth combat evaluation exercise looking at the effectiveness of the bombs from separate aircraft. The 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, the military’s sole group tasked with testing the effectiveness of precision weapons, conducts the regular Combat Hammer evaluation at the Utah Test and Training Range. This year’s event includes F-35s from both Hill and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., along with B-1s from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and MQ-9s from Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

On March 23, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a virtual Nuclear Deterrence Series event featuring Scowcroft Group Principal Frank Miller. At a time when nuclear modernization programs are accelerating around the world, proposals to recapitalize the U.S. nuclear arsenal are at the forefront of debates over defense spending. Miller will share his insights into the prospects for U.S. nuclear modernization programs and the value of nuclear deterrence in today's competitive security environment. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.