US Air Force orders stand-down for safety review
The US Air Force will ground all of its aircraft for a day while it conducts a safety review following a series of deadly accidents, officials said Tuesday.
Active duty wings and their maintainers can choose when to conduct the stand-downs, though they must do so by May 21.
Pilots and crews in combat areas will be given longer.
‘I am directing this operational safety review to allow our commanders to assess and discuss the safety of our operations and to gather feedback from our Airmen who are doing the mission every day,’ Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Goldfein said.
The US military has been beset by a series of air accidents and crashes in recent years, and the rise has been shown to correlate with budget cuts introduced in 2013.
The most recent incident occurred on 2 May, when a Hercules WC-130 cargo plane belonging to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard crashed in the southern state of Georgia, killing all nine people on board.
The air force insists that, overall, it is seeing fewer mishaps but says 18 pilots and crewmen have been killed since 1 October.
During the safety review, senior officials will gather feedback from airmen and ask them to identify issues that may cause a future mishap, the air force said.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Patria OPTIME and ILIAS: Orchestrating operational readiness across every domain]()
Patria OPTIME and ILIAS: Orchestrating operational readiness across every domain
Patria OPTIME is a sustainment concept that integrates MRO and lifecycle services into one solution, powered by the ILIAS digital defence platform
-
![US military seeks common controllers for drones and robotic systems]()
US military seeks common controllers for drones and robotic systems
US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command initiatives signal demand for interoperable uncrewed systems control, creating opportunities for suppliers of hardware, software and integration services.
-
![“Start planning much earlier”: delivering defence support in an era of disruption]()
“Start planning much earlier”: delivering defence support in an era of disruption
In Conversation… The geopolitical landscape is increasingly uncertain, with the UK and its allies confronting the most unpredictable international environment for decades. To adapt, defence readiness must begin long before assets reach the front line, forging a resilient support enterprise that can thrive in a time of ongoing disruption, argue the partners of Team ORION.
-
![“Communicating at mission speed”: why data security is essential for operational success]()
“Communicating at mission speed”: why data security is essential for operational success
In conversation… Everfox’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave Wajsgras and Managing Director, International, Colin McKinty discuss the critical importance of information security in defence, minimising insider risk and the company’s international growth strategy with Shephard’s Andrew White.
-
![“Engage with the operational problem”: how software innovation can boost UK defence]()
“Engage with the operational problem”: how software innovation can boost UK defence
In Conversation… Shephard’s Andrew White talks to Zafer Şen, CEO and co-founder of OBSS, about the future of command-and-control software in the age of artificial intelligence, and his company’s ambitions in the UK defence market.
