The Sun News reports that Air Force and Boeing officials gathered Tuesday for a ceremony to recognize that the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia had completed depot maintenance on 200 C-17 airlifters. USAF first fielded the newest of its strategic airlifters in 1993. As the newspaper noted, Congress appropriated funds to bring the total number of C-17s to 223 over Pentagon objections. The new Air Force budget once again calls for a halt to C-17 production.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.