The 2007 Air Mobility Command Rodeo is entertaining a combined active duty and Reserve C-17 team, a first for the premier mobility readiness event, which dates to 1956. The Total Force team comprises 13 air and ground crew members from McGuire AFB, N.J. The active duty airmen, including two aircrew members and five maintainers, are from the 305th Air Mobility Wing at McGuire. The Reservists, including one aircrew member and five maintainers, are from Air Force Reserve Command’s 514th AMW at McGuire. The competition runs through Friday at McChord AFB, Wash., and comprises some 2,500 people in 40 teams from US and international military units. (Here are some initial results.)
The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the service in recent years.