The House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee markup for the 2008 defense authorization bill recommends allowing the Air Force to retire C-5As. However, the panel has stipulated that the service maintain a fleet of 299 strategic airlifters, so it will only get to retire the A models as new C-17s enter the field. Currently, USAF has a total of 111 C-5s—60 are A models. The current approved buy for C-17s is 190 aircraft. So, to maintain a total of 299 if it retires all 60 A models, USAF would need to purchase an additional 58 C-17s. The panel has recommended adding $2.4 billion to the 2008 bill to purchase 10 C-17s. Retiring the C-5As will be a long, slow process.
We looked back on the past 12 months to find the stories that resonated the most with you, our audience, and these 10 topped the list. Maybe you missed one the first time around, or perhaps you’d like to revisit a favorite.