The Air Force’s 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan, rescued a Marine pilot Thursday after he safely ejected from the AV-8B he was flying in off the coast of Okinawa. The Harrier, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Okinawa, appears to have crashed 100 nautical miles off the coast of the Japanese island at 2? p.m. local time, the III Marine Expeditionary Force announced on Facebook. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.