The 376th Air Expeditionary Wing at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, on Nov. 9 formally opening a new fire station, maintenance warehouse, and emergency management buildings for explosive ordnance disposal. Members of Manas’ 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron completed these projects under a $2 million construction initiative. “We were previously living in tents,” said Anthony Hernandez, fire chief for the 376th ECES fire emergency service. The new fire station features several individual offices and bunk rooms for shift workers and allows the airmen to store and maintain their equipment better in extremes of weather. “This really enhances our operations,” said Lt. Col. Mike Mendoza, 376th ECES commander. (Manas report by SSgt. Olufemi Owolabi)
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.