A B-1B bomber crew did yeoman work getting their aircraft on the ground safely after it experienced a catastrophic hydraulic failure; even more amazing the maintainers managed to repair damage so severe it would be a challenge back stateside, says 1st Lt. Ron Poe, 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit assistant officer in charge. Maintainers found that the nose gear mount pins had sheared from their attachment points and that the No. 2 and 3 engines had ingested some of the hardware, reports SSgt. Cassandra Locke. They faced several major challenges, including getting the spare parts and the 100-degree heat. Another one was the fact they had never replaced a gear assembly without assistance from an Air Force depot.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.