Brig. Gen. Steven Kwast, commander of USAF’s 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in Afghanistan, in a videoconference with reporters Tuesday confirmed that the investigation team reviewing the April 8 crash of the CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft had destroyed the wreckage after getting “what they needed in order to do this investigation properly.” He said a decision on “the threat and the risk” would have been made by the investigation team to determine whether it was prudent to bring the “metal back home … [or] better just to destroy it there so it cannot be used against us.” There’s been at least one media report that brownout conditions likely caused the crash, but Kwast did not speculate about the outcome of the investigation, saying “that process is ongoing.” (The crash killed four and injured several others.)
Sustainment of the F-35 is rapidly becoming the most profitable part of the program, as growing numbers of jets, bases and depots drive a greater demand for parts and services, top Lockheed Martin officials said in an April 20 corporate earnings call. The comments come against a backdrop of criticism…