An MH-53 Pave Low helicopter from the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., made its final flight Sept. 5, landing outside the Air Force Armament Museum near Eglin Air Force Base, its final resting place. The aircraft, tail No. 73-1652, is now part of the museum’s collection. “This is a wonderful aircraft that served its country proudly for over the past 35 years,” said George Jones, museum director. The Air Force will formally retire all of its remaining Pave Lows on Sept. 30. The CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft is replacing them. MH-53s flew during the Vietnam War and have continued to be a mainstay of operations since then, including heavy use in the war on terror. (Hurlburt report by 1st Lt. Lauren Johnson)
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
