A team of 20 active duty airmen, Air National Guardsmen, and Air Force Reservists is responsible for in-theater upkeep of the T-56 engines and propellers used on C-130 transports in Southwest Asia. They form the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron’s C-130 engine centralized repair facility. Their forward presence saves the Air Force time and money and helps keep more C-130s available to support operations, according to members of the unit. “We save the Air Force more than $17 million a year in depot and transportation costs,” said MSgt. Reginald Lytch, 379 EMXS propulsion flight chief. On average, the group overhauls and tests more than 180 C-130 propellers, and repairs and tests more than 35 T-56 turboprop engines annually. (379th AEW report by SrA. Spencer Gallien)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.