Members of Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, last week celebrated the wing’s transition to the C-17 transport during a ceremony. The base, which previously operated C-5As, is the latest Reserve unit to make the change. “The C-17 continues to be the backbone of the US Air Force’s airlift capability; the aircraft have successfully completed countless military and humanitarian missions during their years of service,” said Boeing C-17 program manager Bob Ciesla in a company release. “We know that the men and women who serve at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base can count on their C-17s to continue to perform for many years to come.” The base has received five of its nine C-17s. The remaining four are slated to arrive by the end of Fiscal 2012, according to Boeing.
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…