Officials with the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB, Okla., expect to install the tooling over the next few months in the shop being established there to help maintain the Air Force’s inventory of F117 engines, the turbofan powerplants for C-17 transports. The massive F117, four of which power each C-17, will be the largest engine ever maintained at Oklahoma City. When fully functional, the shop will employ up to 150 workers in two shifts to maintain an average of six to 10 engines per month under a partnership with Pratt & Whitney, the engine’s maker. The first practice engine will arrive early next year to train workers. (Tinker report by Howdy Stout)
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…