The Energy Department will be conducting a study at six Air Mobility Command bases through the fall to determine whether renewable energy systems, including wind farms and solar panels, could be cost effective at these locations. General assessments will be made at: Charleston AFB, S.C.; Dover AFB, Del.; Grand Forks AFB, N.D.; and MacDill AFB, Fla. At the same time, DOE officials will consider a solar-energy setup at Little Rock AFB, Ark., and a wind turbine project at McConnell AFB, Kan. Chan Keith, an AMC resource efficiency manager, said, so far, “the most promising probable outcome” appears to be the wind turbines at McConnell. AMC officials said pursuing renewable energy helps in making the Air Force more energy independent and installations more secure by having power generation on base as opposed to off base. (Scott report by 1st Lt. Kathleen Ferrero)
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…