A row of KC-135 Stratotankers taxi on the flight line at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash, Sept. 29, 2021. Following the taxi, 20 aircraft took off from the flight line, which provided an opportunity to showcase the readiness of Fairchild aircrews and the fleet of aircraft. Fairchild Facebook photo.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
The 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., simultaneously launched 20 KC-135s on Sept. 29, marking the largest-ever minimum interval takeoff event for the base, according to a spokesperson.
“This was an impressive feat boasting the largest take-off of a KC-135 fleet at Fairchild Air Force Base,” according to a Fairchild press release. “Today we launched more Refuelers than are owned by whole countries.”
The readiness exercise, which included an “elephant walk” as the aerial tankers lined up before takeoff, tested Fairchild’s maintenance generation capabilities and its ability to launch multiple aircraft in short order.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
The Air Force Research Laboratory has signaled to industry it wants to develop a low-cost hypersonic cruise missile to deliver a wide range of payloads at a range up to 500 nautical miles.
The Air Force’s decision to more than double its purchase of F-15EX Eagle II jets may bolster the service’s fighter fleet, but it also comes with risks and questions officials will have to manage in the years ahead, a new Pentagon report warns.
The Air Force’s new nuclear security helicopter, the MH-139A Grey Wolf, achieved initial operational capability this month—a significant milestone in the service’s effort to replace its Vietnam War-era UH-1N Hueys but years later than originally planned.
The Air Force has issued a $100 million contract to combine its long-disjointed systems for managing aircrew readiness with software that is expected to reach initial operational capability next year, starting with the T-6A Texan II and the C-17 Globemaster III.
Lt. Gen. Jason D. Voorheis has taken command of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, a sprawling organization with a $400 billion portfolio, establishing him as one of the service’s top acquisition officials.
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The iconic “whup-whup-whup” of the 1st Helicopter Squadron’s UH-1N Hueys still echoes in the skies of the Washington D.C. area. But on Aug. 27, a new helicopter that first flew half a century after the Huey sat beside the stage for the activation of a squadron that’s a full 57…
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