Airmen from Air Force Reserve Command’s 439th Maintenance Squadron at Westover ARB, Mass., tested the base’s new C-5 mobile tail enclosure, according to a base release. The MTE, “the largest structure of its kind in the Air Force,” is designed to shield a C-5’s tail section—and the maintainers working on it—from the elements when the aircraft is in the base’s smaller sized isochronal inspection hangar, which cannot completely accommodate the massive airplane. Members of the squadron brought a C-5 into the hangar on May 22 and then enclosed the tail with the MTE, completing the first run-through, according to the May 24 release. The Air Force began construction of the $5 million enclosure last year. (Westover report by SrA. Kelly Galloway) (See also video clip of the MTE test.)
Work Has Begun to Adapt Qatari 747 to Fly as Air Force One
Sept. 15, 2025
The Air Force has started modifying a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for "executive airlift," a spokesperson said Sept. 15. President Donald Trump has said he wants to fly the jet as “Air Force One” since new presidential transports, held up by delays, won't be ready until after his term…
