The 507th Maintenance Squadron at Tinker AFB, Okla., received new maintenance platforms that are expected to increase safety and efficiency as unit technicians conduct isochronal inspections of KC-135 tankers, according to a base release. The equipment arrived on Jan. 14 and the squadron is scheduled to start the first KC-135 ISO with it at the end of February, states the Jan. 28 release. These new platforms span the length of a KC-135 wing and include pieces that wrap around the airplane’s nose and down both sides of the aircraft. “Once the aircraft is towed into the hangar and the stands are positioned, our inspection team will have the ability to perform inspections and maintenance virtually anywhere on the aircraft,” said CMSgt. Thomas Corporon, 507th MXS superintendent. Since there will no longer be the need to reposition stands around the tanker, unit officials think they can shave two days off of the time it takes to complete an ISO, according to the release. The squadron is a component of Air Force Reserve Command’s 507th Air Refueling Wing. (Tinker report by SrA. Mark Hybers)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.