With the Air Force planning to retire the AWACS and replace the B-52's current engines, the contract could last for the remainder of the TF33's life. The jets have amassed more than 141,000 hours in combat since Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The Air Force chose 17.4% of eligible senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant, down from last year’s selection rate of 21.1%. With the clock ticking on retiring the Air Force's aging E-3 Sentry fleet, every second counts on building the E-7s that will replace them. Plummeting NCO promotion rates are a ripple effect of the Air Force’s effort to grow its early career enlisted workforce. It's the most competitive round of on-time promotions to lieutenant colonel since the Air Force overhauled its selection process in 2020. The 18th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Robins AFB will serve as the stateside home for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node fleet. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr. noted the upcoming trip at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday. This was the first Minuteman III test conducted from an airborne control center on a Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft since August. The unfunded priorities list also requests money to buy 12 conformal fuel tanks for F-15EX fighters to extend their range and let it carry more weapons. Load More