Consistency Achieved: Air Force Research Lab engineers and Aeronautical Systems Center B-2 program officials at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, have agreed on a new process to ensure consistency in production of a new material that will significantly reduce maintenance man-hours on the B-2 bomber fleet. Flight tests validated the use of Alternate High Frequency Material to replace tape covering access panel gaps and fasteners, but AHFM performance proved inconsistent from batch to batch. Within weeks, AFRL “developed and validated a repeatable manufacturing process” for large quantities (500 gallon batches), said Air Force Materiel Command officials.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.