Air Force plans to include the C-27J Spartan planned for the Air Force inventory, are steadily progressing.

The Air Force will field 38 C-27Js, operated by the Air National Guard. Two are currently going through qualification and operational testing.

According to Air Force officials, the C-27J is an “extremely rugged” aircraft, designed for austere environments. And, although it has yet to complete its testing, they say it should thrive in the “dirt”.

“Think if the C-27J as a ‘mini-Herc‘ — it looks like and acts like a C-130, but it is about half the size,” Col. Capone said. “This smaller size brings efficiency of scale to the Air Force’s portfolio of airlifters.”

AMC officials say, work to make the C-27J capable of fully supporting the Army’s needs in the US Central Command area of responsibility is also continuously progressing.

Air Force officials say there is still a lot to do as more and more C-27s come into the inventory.

“A concept like this will take time and effort, but most importantly it will also require feedback from the forces,” Colonel Fowler said.

AMC and Air Force officials plan to continuously review and update the C-27J using input from field commanders until it is incorporated into joint doctrine.

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Greg Combet, Acting Minister for Defence, announced yesterday the completion of the deeper maintenance contract for the Air Force F-111 fleet.

“Since the F-111 was introduced it has flown over 160,000 hours. To help it achieve this Air Force and Defence Industry collectively completed over 300 routine deeper maintenance servicings that have included removal of wings, engines, undercarriage and other major components for overhaul or replacement. The maintenance systems introduced with the F-111 aircraft have been a mainstay of Defence and industry’s high-tech support capabilities for well over 35 years,” said Mr Combet.

“Aircraft A8-135, which was handed back to 82 Wing today, was the final F-111 to undergo deeper maintenance servicing and the completion of this program will ensure that the F-111 fleet remains fully capable until the Super Hornets come on-line.”

“Through its involvement with the F-111, Boeing has made a significant contribution to the aircraft’s legacy.”

A ceremony was held at RAAF Amberley to mark the completion of the contract.

The US Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, Thunderbirds, left their home at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, six weeks ago to embark on a whirlwind journey that took them halfway around the world.

The Thunderbirds typically travel from mid-March to mid-November in the continental United States. However, this year, the 2009 Far East Tour took the team to multiple locations in the Pacific. During the tour, the team traveled more than 22,000 miles.

With a final pass over the crowd in Seoul, Korea, the world famous Thunderbirds waved goodbye to their fans and completed the last performance of the tour.

Major Brian Henderson was the Pacific Air Forces project officer for the Thunderbirds‘ Far East Tour. He said the crowd reactions were highly energetic, especially when the team signed autographs after each performance.

Now the team is heading out once again for the “Wing’s Over Homestead” Air Show scheduled for Nov. 7-8, at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida. The team’s final air show this year will be at Nellis AFB, Nov. 14-15.