The Marine Corps has dispatched 10 MV-22 Ospreys to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, according to a Nov. 7 Virginian-Pilot report. The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship based in Norfolk, Va., launched the new tilt-rotor aircraft in three waves for the two-hour flight to the camp, according to the newspaper. The Marine Corps earlier this year said it was on track for a fall deployment to Afghanistan. The new Marine Osprey force previously deployed to Iraq, where USMC officials said it exceeded expectations.
The Air Force has finished resurrecting a B-1B Lancer, completing a yearslong process to transform a bomber that had been stored for parts in the Arizona desert into the new flagship of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.