The tech heads with the Air Force Research Laboratory, headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are busy developing a new integrated oxygen sensor—one that helps reduce the risk of explosions caused by fuel tank fires. A process called “fuel tank inerting”—essentially keeping the oxygen level low enough so the contents could not burn even if there is a spark. There’s still a ways to go—like developing a sensor to directly monitor the oxygen content in the tank—but this could prevent accidents like the 1996 TWA Flight 800 explosion over the Atlantic Ocean, says AFRL officials.
Clearing jungle and laying asphalt in tropical heat may not sound like fun to most people, but it’s a way of life for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) Airmen, who have spent the past year or so restoring World War II-era airfields on the Pacific…