Air National Guard C-130s equipped to drop up to 2,700 gallons of fire retardant or water have deployed from the 145th Airlift Wing in North Carolina to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to set up camp in case they are needed to fight fires as needed. It’s the start of another fire season. ANG and Air Force Reserve Command airmen and their aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System deploy throughout the season usually for about 30 days at a time, according to ANG Lt. Col. Rick Gibson, MAFFS liaison. They are on call to respond to local, state, and federal calls for assistance. Gibson predicts a higher use rate this season since there are fewer civilian fire tankers available and fire danger is high.
B-21 Raider First Flight Now Postponed to 2023
May 20, 2022
The Air Force says the B-21 Raider won't make its first flight until 2023; about a six-month delay from the last official estimates. No reason was given for the delay. While other programs have recently chalked up schedule slips to supply chain and labor shortages, the Air Force has said…