The Air Force will deploy its newest aircraft, the C-27J Spartan, this summer, about four months later than originally expected due to the challenges of bedding down a new aircraft while also preparing for its initial deployment. Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, Air National Guard director, told the Daily Report Wednesday that he was confident in the new timeframe and said the Air Force has worked closely with members of industry to fix some of the early problems with the aircraft. The entire C-27J fleet was grounded in December when a routine maintenance check uncovered some metal shavings in the fuel cells. At the time, the heads-up display also was decertified because it was slipping during flight and disrupting the pilots’ line of sight, and crews were complaining that the avionics system wasn’t up to par, an industry official said. Those problems have since been fixed. Continue
The Space Force is playing a key role in planning for “Golden Dome,” President Donald Trump’s initiative for comprehensive air and missile defense of the homeland, leaders said this week. But actually building and fielding the ambitious idea will require a major concerted effort across the Pentagon and intelligence community.