The 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland AFB, N.M., welcomed its second new-build MC-130J Combat Shadow II aircraft. Gen. Edward Rice, head of Air Education and Training Command, accepted delivery of aircraft No. 5682 for the training unit on Tuesday. He called it “an honor” to accept the newest member of Kirtland’s fleet. The MC-130J came to Kirtland from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Marietta, Ga. The Air Force is procuring a fleet of MC-130Js to replace its older MC-130 special-mission aircraft. (Lockheed Martin release)
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…