Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Squadron applied new squadron markings to one of the unit’s recently acquired C-17 Globemasters at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Based near the home of aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright in Dayton, “I don’t think there could be a better logo for this unit than the Wright Flyer,” said SMSgt. Richard Burkheiser, 445th Maintenance Squadron structural repair shop supervisor. Maintainers painted the first silhouette of the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer over the tail sash, Aug. 18. The 445th AS transitioned from the C-5 to the C-17 earlier this summer, with plans to operate a total of nine C-17s from the base by the end of FY 2012. (Wright-Patterson report by A1C Santana Austin)
The F-35 Joint Program Office has officially announced plans to issue multiple sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the fighter’s F135 engine—a widely expected move after Pentagon officials indicated they would do so earlier this year instead of developing an entirely new engine.