Air Force officials on Monday celebrated the opening of Bldg. 9001, a part of the new aerospace complex at Tinker AFB, Okla. “This will be a magnificent addition to the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center,” said Gen. Donald Hoffman, Air Force Materiel Command boss, at the opening ceremony. Already Oklahoma City’s TF33 engine maintenance work has relocated to Bldg. 9001 and more depot functions are coming over. The building is one of six industrial facilities on the new Tinker Aerospace Complex (TAC), a 407-acre, former General Motors plant that the Air Force is leasing. Bldg. 9001 alone has 2.5-million sq. ft. of industrial floor space, about one quarter of which will be occupied by year’s end. “The opening of TAC postures Tinker for an exciting and vibrant future,” said Maj. Gen. David Gillett, OC-ALC commander. (Tinker report by Brandice J. Armstrong)
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…