An Air Force Reserve Command C-5 lost two of its 28 wheels during a training flight July 22 out of the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover ARB, Mass. There were no injuries on the ground or to the aircrew, which landed the huge airlifter safely. The Republican reports that the incident occurred about 1 p.m., and residents notified police that they had seen something fall from an aircraft. State and local police found the four-foot-tall tires in woods near Belchertown. According to the newspaper, it is not the first time the unit’s C-5’s have dropped aircraft pieces, citing the loss in 1987 of a three-by-eight-foot section of aluminum wing flap and the 1999 “two chunks of a wing flap.” Associated Press reports that the aircrew never knew they had lost the wheels. An investigation is ongoing, per a brief statement from the unit.
The Air Force wants a new, affordable, air-launched standoff cruise missile ready to field in 2033. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced April 6 it will hold an industry day event to conduct market research on the Standoff Attack Weapon, or SoAW, on June 17 at Eglin Air…