Capt. Ryan Bone, an F-15E weapons systems officer with the 335th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., on Nov. 22 reached 1,000 flying hours in the backseat of the Strike Eagle during a mission over Afghanistan. “It feels good reaching 1,000 hours in my first assignment,” said Bone, who is serving with the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron that is operating out of Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. (Bagram photo caption by SrA. Felicia Juenke)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.