The Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Maxwell AFB, Ala., has just graduated its largest class ever, according to CMSgt. Alex Perry, academy commandant. But the next class may be even larger, he said. There were 457 students who graduated from the six-week class that concluded July 21, said Perry. Normally the cap is 450 students divided into 30 flights. But the decision was made to accept the extra seven students and create an extra flight to accommodate them, he said. That expansion “worked out very well,” he noted. Perry said goal for the incoming August class is 32 flights serving 476 students. The academy aims to graduate 2,200 students annually, he said. (Maxwell report by Carl Bergquist)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.