The Air Force’s 220th new-build C-17 transport is scheduled to touch down on Wednesday at JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., according to base spokeswoman SSgt. Frances Kriss. This airplane, which will arrive from Boeing’s plant in Long Beach, Calif., will be the last new-build C-17 slated for the large air mobility hub, Kriss told the Daily Report on March 25. McChord maintains a fleet of 48 assigned C-17s. The new arrival will not change that total as the Air Force rotates C-17s between bases. Members of McChord’s 62nd Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 446th AW jointly operate the base’s C-17s. McChord received its previous new-build C-17 on Feb. 20. It was the 219th C-17 that Boeing supplied to the Air Force. The Air Force has ordered 224 C-17s overall and currently doesn’t plan to buy more.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…