The first MC-12W Liberty Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance aircraft have arrived at Beale AFB, Calif., their new home station, for beddown. Beale spokesman A1C Shawn Nickel told the Daily Report last week that four of the seven MC-12s expected by year’s end are already there. The first aircraft touched down on June 10. The Air Force has been using these seven MC-12s at Key Field Air National Guard Base in Meridian, Miss., for training Liberty operators. They will serve the same role at Beale. The remaining MC-12s in the 37-airframe Liberty fleet are in Southwest Asia supporting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The start of an MC-12 presence at Beale comes amidst the backdrop of the Senate Armed Services Committee supporting a provision in next fiscal year’s defense policy bill that would transfer ownership of the MC-12 fleet to the Army (see above).
Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.