Air Force and Army Reservists teamed up recently to practice responding to a natural disaster—a giant surge wave hitting the Southern California coast—and, at the same time, help move the Army Reservists and their equipment to their new home at March ARB, Calif. Five C-17s and two KC-135s from Air Force Reserve Command’s 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March flew to NAS Point Mugu, where they took on the soldiers, heavy trucks, and Humvees of the Army Reserve’s 304th Sustainment Brigade that had convoyed to Point Mugu from Los Angeles.
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.