China has painted the Y-20 black for unknown reasons. Though it looks good in that color, not much more is known about the elusive aircraft. This photo and others appeared on the Chinese-language Sina website.
Air Force
Today in Military History: Feb. 12, 1959, B-36 Peacemaker Retires
Convair B-36s at AMARC 1958 awaiting scrapping.
On February 12, 1959 the United States Air Force retires its last Convair B-36 Peacemaker to become an all-jet bomber force. The Air Force also receives the first Boeing B-52G with larger fuel tanks, stretching the unrefueled range from 6,000 to 10,000 miles.
Yesterday’s “Today in Military History” was going to be on the Seabed Treaty, prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons on the ocean floor, but this blogger forgot to post it. For full details on the Seabed Treaty click here.
Rapid Runway Repairs for Taiwan
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency has awarded Rapid Runway Repair, Inc., Delhi, La., a $13 million contract to supply the Taiwan Air Force with fiberglass mat rapid runway kits. The announcement was made December 27.
Work to be completed by June 30, 2014. AFLCMC/WFG,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity.
This is not the first procurement by Taiwan’s Air Force of these types of kits. In May 2010, Hualien Airbase personnel demonstrated the use of a rapid runway repair system it had procured from U.S.-based Colt Rapid Mat in 2002 for $43 million.
The kits were procured to repair runways quickly after an aerial bombardment from China. China has 1,500 Dong Feng 11/15 short-range ballistic missiles targeting the island.
It is unclear how many rapid runway kits Taiwan has procured.
Photo of the Day: Nov. 2, 2012
Air Force crews offload Southern California Edison power repair equipment from a C-5 Galaxy on Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y., Nov. 1, 2012. The Defense Department initiated the airlift operation to aid recovery efforts in Hurricane Sandy's aftermath. (DoD)
While much of the east coast does its best to begin the clean up, reinforcements arrived in the form of utility trucks from California, in this case a C-5 birthing a vehicle from California. More
Photo of the Day: Sept. 27 2012
A U.S. Air Force Academy falcon perches on the throttle control of a KC-135 Stratotanker on Sept. 7, 2012. (Lt. Col. Tysuyoshi Tung/USAF)
Airmen from the Air Force Reserve’s 931st Air Refueling Group, out of McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., flew Academy cadets, including members of the Air Force Academy falconry team, to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Air Force vs. University of Michigan football game.
