The 20th Fighter Wing at South Carolina’s Shaw Air Force Base has a new commander, who is overseeing the establishment of new procedures in the wake of an F-16 crash near Charleston. The accident investigation cited lackluster maintenance as a key factor in the crash. Speaking at a media roundtable in South Carolina on Nov. 7, Col. Bill Hyatt said that the wing had implemented changes even before receiving the final investigation report. The Item (Sumter, S.C.) quoted Hyatt as saying the fact that maintainers did not have “complete control of parts and pieces” as they disassembled and reassembled engines “bit us.” Hyatt added that while technical procedures were not followed, “they also weren’t easy to follow.”
The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital is giving a $150 million conditional loan to Rocket Lab meant to increase the launch rate for its new reusable Neutron rocket, which is slated for its first flight next year.