The Air Force may be returning to a structure in which aircraft maintainers work for operations. Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley would like to see the service “structured by mission and not by function,” reports SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski. Moseley’s predecessor—Gen. John P. Jumper—made the shift away from this arrangement primarily to give young maintenance officers a more dedicated career path to maintenance leadership positions. Now, Moseley believes that “moving maintenance units to the flying squadrons is best” and notes that the “partnership between crew chief and aircrew goes back to our roots.” However, he says that this structure may not suit all flying squadrons. He is gathering feedback from squadron, group, and wing commanders. Most appear to agree, but Moseley says the verdict is still out. “I’m convinced this is absolutely the right thing to do for fighters, but I’m still getting input on whether it should apply to UAVs, airlifters, tankers, and special operations aircraft as well.”
Boeing received a $2.47 billion Air Force contract Nov. 25 for 15 more KC-46s, bringing to 183 the number of Pegasus tankers on contract to all customers, foreign and domestic. The new contract—for Lot 12 of the initially planned KC-46 buy—is to be completed by 2029.
