All the KC-135 tankers that temporarily relocated to JB Charleston, S.C., have returned home to MacDill AFB, Fla., after completion of the roughly $8 million runway repairs there late last year, according to a Jan. 4 USAF release. The tankers first relocated in October 2016 and the last tanker returned to MacDill on Dec. 20, 2016, states the release. Having the tankers at Charleston helped members of the 437th Operations Group check off more than 288 currency events, said group commander Col. Louis Hansen. “Air refueling is a force multiplier, allowing US Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command to deliver forces and cargo anywhere in the world non-stop,” he added.
The Air Force is on track to reach its annual goal of graduating 1,500 new pilots that had proved elusive to this point, one year after the service launched a sweeping overhaul of its undergraduate pilot training program, Air Education and Training Command said Sept. 14.
