The 305th Air Mobility Wing at JB McGuire, N.J., now has its full complement of C-17 transports in place. Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, the top uniformed official in USAF’s acquisition shop, delivered the new-build C-17 from Boeing’s production plant in Long Beach, Calif., to the East Coast base on July 30. The new aircraft—the 200th C-17 Boeing has built for the Air Force—brings the wing’s total to 16. “This C-17 will help exponentially,” said Lt. Col. Bryan Wood, 6th Airlift Squadron operations officer, adding, “It will immediately help provide combat airlift.” The wing’s C-17s have already supported frequent missions to Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to the 16 C-17s under USAF’s existing 223-aircraft program of record, the 305th AMW also operates 32 KC-10 tankers. (McGuire report by SrA. David Carbajal)
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”