Air Force, industry, state, and local officials on Tuesday ceremoniously opened the new Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Technology Center near Tinker AFB, Okla. Once fully completed, the MROTC will comprise 17 hangars, including 1.6 million square feet of back-shop, industrial, logistics support, classroom, and research space. Finished since construction began last spring is the first hangar, where Boeing and Air Force technicians will perform system upgrades for E-3 AWACs aircraft. Officials expect to see two more hangars completed in mid-2008.
The Next-Generation Air Dominance Fighter is Air Combat Command’s top priority, because without it, the Air Force can’t provide the control of the air the whole military depends on to operate, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mark D. Kelly said. He also named a replacement for the E-3 AWACS, new…