The Air Force’s first production C-17 garnered new laurels as the first Globemaster III to surpass 20,000 flying hours during a sortie from JB Charleston, S.C., Dec. 19. The Spirit of Charleston logged the milestone a little over 20 years after its delivery to Charleston on June 14, 1993, where it has been based ever since, according to the base release. “Aircraft 9192 has been around the world many times, for a variety of reasons, including many humanitarian efforts during natural disasters,” 437th Maintenance Group deputy director Norman Moore said at ceremony after the landing on Dec. 18. “Prior to an expected service life extension, a C-17 is estimated to fly 30,000 flight hours,” he noted. “It still has a long life ahead.” USAF retired its first C-17—development prototype T-1— to the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, last year.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
