Members of Air Force Special Operations Command are innovating at the unit level and achieving new capabilities, such as pioneering casualty evacuation at sea using CV-22s, said Brig. Gen. Buck Elton, AFSOC’s head of plans, programs, requirements, and assessments. Speaking on Monday at AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., Elton detailed a mission concept—conceived by a group of captains working with counterparts in the Navy SEAL community—in June 2012. A crew launched an Osprey from Cannon AFB, N.M., and flew it to 100 miles off the US East Coast with support from aerial tanking, he said. Upon arrival, the crew performed a hoist medical evacuation from the USS Missouri attack submarine, then returned home—an 11-hour, 2,500-mile trip, he said. The concept helped validate the flexibility of the CV-22 in operations supporting special missions at sea, said Elton. AFSOC is also working hard to improve technology and fixes that increase the time on wing for Osprey engines, reduce brownout conditions, and potentially put a low-cost forward-firing defensive weapon on the platform, he said.
Work Has Begun to Adapt Qatari 747 to Fly as Air Force One
Sept. 15, 2025
The Air Force has started modifying a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for "executive airlift," a spokesperson said Sept. 15. President Donald Trump has said he wants to fly the jet as “Air Force One” since new presidential transports, held up by delays, won't be ready until after his term…
