A general contractor team, working in conjunction with Air Force civil engineers and the Army Corp of Engineers, began demolishing an old B-52 hangar on the grounds of Eglin AFB, Fla., in order to make room for a new F-35 fuel-cell maintenance hangar. The new facility, which will have three aircraft bays, office space, and a tool crib, is scheduled for completion in February 2013, according to Eglin officials. It will support the base’s new F-35 schoolhouse that the 33rd Fighter Wing runs. Demolition of the 1960s-era B-52 facility commenced on Dec. 15. (Eglin photo caption by Maj. Karen Roganov)
Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich assumed command of U.S. European Command on July 1, taking over the key assignment as the U.S. and its allies contend with a resurgent Russia and a grinding war in Ukraine.