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)
The Air Force is targeting August 2027 for its new T-7A Red Hawk trainer jet to reach its initial operational capability. To get there, the head of Air and Education Training has three milestones he needs to see the program hit.
