Operations stop Friday at Rhein-Main AB, Germany, as US strategic airlift missions shift to Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Bases. Military flights ended Monday at Rhein-Main. Nicknamed the “Gateway to Europe,” the base played a central role in the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift and served as USAF’s main air transport hub during four decades of the Cold War. USAF plans an official closing ceremony for Oct. 10.
Contracts for F-35 airframes in Lot 18 and 19 should be signed in the spring, but an engine deal is still not in hand and could take months longer. The delays don't seem to be driven by anticipation of how the new Trump administration will influence the program.