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 Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.