A US Air Force C-17 from Hickam AFB, Hawaii and one from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, delivered about 226,000 pounds of humanitarian supplies to China on Feb. 8 to help aid people in 19 provinces hard hit by severe winter storms. The C-17 from the 535th Airlift Squadron at Hickam picked up the supplies at Kadena AB, Japan on the island of Okinawa and flew into Shanghai International Airport, turning the cargo over to the People’s Liberation Army.
Every year, Congress and the military debate which combat assets should head to the boneyard and which have more life left in them. Lawmakers often opt to keep Air Force systems that bring jobs to their districts, which complicates matters as the service looks to modernize and ditch certain platforms.…