Maintainers keep mission going in below zero temperatures

AFSO21 and IDEA programs merge

The gap between idea and suggestion just snapped shut at Fairchild. Air Force Smart Operations 21 and the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness Program have merged, creating a forum for any mission-improving suggestion to be heard and answered. Previously two separate programs, both AFSO

Fairchild's Maintenance Squadron produces another AFSO21 initiative

A Team Fairchild maintenance technician used to wait up to an hour to get a screw and washer before he could complete a KC-135 repair on the ramp. Soon, thanks to an Air Force Smart Operations 21 initiative at the 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, he is just minutes away from the critical parts.

Thinking of tankers tactically

Somewhere over Iraq, a tanker flies through the shimmering heat of the desert sun. The crew successfully off-loaded fuel to a pair of F-16s, performing their part of the close air support mission, before heading back to base. As they approach the airfield, a rocket fired from a man-portable air

DGMC medics deploy to Afghan hospital

Approximately 100 Airmen from the 60th Medical Group at David Grant USAF Medical Center recently deployed to the largest military hospital in Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror. The 455th Expeditionary Medical Group was activated during a ceremony Jan. 23 to assume operation of the

Global reach, global power

Tanker recapitalization proposal released

Air Force leaders officially released a request for proposal for a replacement tanker aircraft Jan. 30. The RFP is the official invitation to manufacturers to begin making offers to build a replacement for the Air Force's aging "Eisenhower-era" fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, said Sue Payton, the

Glimmering Globemaster IIIs

C-130 maintenance unit gets much needed upgrade

Airmen of the 746th Aircraft Maintenance Unit who generate C-130 Hercules aircraft throughout Southwest Asia now have an upgraded maintenance facility to call home. The new complex replaces the hodgepodge of old tents, conexes and homemade wooden structures, which combined to form a complex

Base sets AT benchmark for AMC, garners DoD recognition

The remote nature of Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., doesn't isolate it from threats. The wing anti-terrorism office's job is to identify threats, both real and anticipated, and develop measures to counter them. The AT office's efforts were recognized by the Department of Defense recently and