A US Air Force C-17 from Hickam AFB, Hawaii and one from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, delivered about 226,000 pounds of humanitarian supplies to China on Feb. 8 to help aid people in 19 provinces hard hit by severe winter storms. The C-17 from the 535th Airlift Squadron at Hickam picked up the supplies at Kadena AB, Japan on the island of Okinawa and flew into Shanghai International Airport, turning the cargo over to the People’s Liberation Army.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.