Australia has signed the agreement with the US government to acquire a fifth C-17 transport via a foreign military sale, announced C-17 manufacturer Boeing. The additional airframe will bolster the Royal Australian Air Force’s ability to support international humanitarian-support and disaster-relief missions. Due to the RAAF’s pressing need for more airlift capacity, the US Air Force has approved Australia’s request to receive the new C-17 in August, according to Boeing. The aircraft will be assigned to RAAF Base Amberley, near Brisbane, home of 36 Squadron, which operates the country’s C-17 force. The Pentagon notified Congress of this potential sale in early March. Already this year, RAAF C-17s have supported disaster-relief efforts in Japan and New Zealand as well as at home after floods ravaged parts of Queensland.
New technologies such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and remote simulator instruction are helping train Airmen faster and improve graduation rates, according to Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the head of Air Education and Training Command. That technology is key to what he calls “the pace of cognition,” where Airmen…