Craftsmen completed modifying the final C-17 Globemaster III with the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system (LAIRCM) at Warner-Robins Air Logistics Complex on Robins AFB, Ga., earlier this month. The modification line retrofit a total of 76 C-17s, achieving a 93 percent on-time delivery rate, according to a release. “We’re most proud of their ability to slash almost 2,000 production hours and 10 flow days from the LAIRCM mod line to save costs,” said 559th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flight chief Jimmy Kelly. The anti-missile, self-defensive system also equips the Air Force’s C-5 and C-130 fleets, and Northrop Grumman received a contract earlier this year to adapt the system to the KC-135. Warner Robins line will now shift to installing LAIRCM on the Navy’s C-130J Super Hercules fleet. The first Navy C-130J is scheduled to arrive this fall and the team plans to complete the first nine aircraft next year.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
