The airmen maintaining USAF’s fleet of C-130 tactical airlifters operating in Southwest Asia are in a constant battle against the damage done by the dirt and gravel airstrips into which the Hercules aircraft fly to deliver troops and cargo. The gravel is chewing up tires, and the short strips mean the aircrews have to literally stand on their brakes and go into max reverse on the aircraft’s engines, which creates dust clouds that enter the engines, air conditioning system, and elsewhere. The airmen inspect every C-130—from front to back—every three days, according to TSgt. Dale Durham, a crew chief with the Texas Air National Guard’s 136th Airlift Wing, Fort Worth, Tex.
A record investment in research and development by the Department of the Air Force will help the United States win the long-term technology race with China, even while shrinking the fleet size before a possible mid-decade Taiwan contingency, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said May 17. “With the Air Force,…