The Air Force receives the first operational Lockheed C-5A Galaxy transport, delivered to the 437th Military Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, S.C. The debut, made before Rep. L. Mendel Rivers (D- S.C.) and most of the House Armed Services Committee, is less than auspicious: The giant aircraft loses a wheel and the tire next to that one blew out.
The Pentagon is requesting funds to buy 85 F-35s in its 2027 budget, 38 of them for the Air Force, a number that analysts say is not enough to reverse service’s fighter shortfall.