Technicians at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia have been working 10-hour days, seven days a week since getting approval Aug. 25 to produce new aileron actuator levers for T-38 trainers. Now, the ALC believes they will be able to boost their output from 50 levers per week to 75 and shift the completion date for 250 left-hand levers and 250 right-hand levers from the end of December to mid-November. The Air Force began the lever production effort when an accident investigation board cited the component as a contributing factor inthe fatal crash of a T-38 in April at Columbus AFB, Miss. The service’s other two ALCs—Ogden ALC in Utah and Oklahoma City ALC in Oklahoma—have been working the lever production, as well, to cover nearly 600 T-38s as quickly as possible. Because the original forgings for the parts to the 40-plus-year-old aircraft, the centers had to develop prototypes for the components, which require precise, intricate milling. (Robins report by Wayne Crenshaw)
The Senate passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization bill late Oct. 9 with new language restricting retirements for B-1 bombers and E-3 AWACS. Now lawmakers from the House and Senate must set about resolving the differences between their two bills, which could lead to significant changes for…
