Air Force and Boeing officials dedicated the service’s newest C-17 to recipients of the US military’s highest decoration, unveiling Spirit of the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at JB Lewis McChord, Wash. “Whenever this C-17 flying the insignia of the Spirit of the Medal of Honor lands, the spirit of America’s bravest will land with it, bringing hope, saving lives, and preserving peace,” said Robert Ciesla, Boeing’s C-17 program manager, during Tuesday’s dedication ceremony. MOH recipients retired Air Force Col. Joe Jackson and retired Army Col. Bruce Crandall assisted Ciesla and Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Raymond Johns in unveiling the title and honorific appliqué above the aircraft’s crew-entry door. Dedicated at AMC’s Air Mobility Rodeo 2011, Boeing delivered this C-17 (tail no. 99211) earlier this month, according to the company’s release. (Includes Lewis-McChord report by A1C Michael Battles)
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.