Maintainers at Ramstein AB, Germany, are in the midst of the first isochronal inspection of one of the base’s new C-130J transports. A team of about 60 active-duty airmen from the 86th Maintenance Squadron in late May began examining one of the first C-130Js to arrive at the base in 2009. During this 10-day process, these maintainers will do a comprehensive scrub of the platform and its systems from nose to tail and wingtip to wingtip, in order to repair any items that they discover need attention. Another notable is that the 86th MXS became the first Air Force squadron to have exclusively active duty airmen conducting these inspections, according to base officials. Ramstein’s 37th Airlift Squadron began receiving the first of its 14 planned C-130Js in April 2009 and had 11 of them in place as of early March. (Ramstein report by SrA. Scott Saldukas)
Defense experts say the drone threat represents only part of a larger, looming problem: U.S. air bases in the Pacific are increasingly vulnerable to air attacks.