Two airmen were killed earlier today (May 1) when the T-38C trainer aircraft they were flying from Sheppard AFB, Tex., crashed, the base’s 82nd Training Wing public affairs said in a release. The aircraft, which was assigned to Sheppard’s 80th Flying Training Wing, went down about 7:45 a.m. local time. USAF is withholding the victims’ names pending notification of family. Additional information will be released as it becomes available, the statement said. The crash is the second fatal mishap involving a T-38C in nine days. On April 23, an instructor pilot and student pilot died when their T-38C crashed on initial takeoff at Columbus AFB, Miss.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
