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.
A new Navy missile could fill a range gap that the U.S. Air Force needs for its fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighters. The Navy’s portfolio acquisition executive for munitions posted information on the AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile online on Aug. 22, the same day it unveiled the project at…