Air Force personnel have begun an intensive effort to fabricate new wing levers for the T-38 trainer fleet to keep the aircraft flying. After Air Force investigators identified that a T-38 aileron actuator lever, a flight control, was a contributing factor in the fatal crash of a Talon in April at Columbus AFB, Miss., the service made the decision to replace this component. But to manufacture the 1,600 new levers (800 left levers and 800 right levers) quickly enough to avoid having to ground the fleet, the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill AFB, Utah—the center responsible for repairing T-38s—asked for help from the Air Force’s other two depots: the Oklahoma City ALC at Tinker AFB, Okla., and Warner Robins ALC at Robins AFB, Ga. Working around the clock, personnel in the three depots have been churning them out. Oklahoma City personnel, for example, are manufacturing the left levers. They built 50 by Aug. 18, and will continue to supply 50 per week until the order is complete. (Tinker report by Brandice Armstrong)
Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test
March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon on March 13 fell short of a fully successful test, but the Air Force isn’t saying what went wrong with the Lockheed Martin-built hypersonic missile. The defense giant's Missiles and Fire Control division recently said the ARRW is "ready…