All 64 major Air Force bases in the US are participating in Operation Change Out, the joint Defense Department-Energy Department effort to replace incandescent bulbs on military installations with new energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, the Air Force said in a release Tuesday. In the past year, beginning with Earth Day 2008, Air Force participants have already changed out more than 228,000 bulbs at these locations. The Air Force estimates that it will save $7.5 million over the lifetime of the bulbs and reduce energy consumption by levels that would be enough to power 3,841 homes for a year. Change Out is occurring under the rubric of Energy Star, the joint Energy Department-EPA program to save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.