The Air Force will receive its first MH-139 helicopter for testing in December, as it enters the next phase of the $2.4 billion effort to replace the Vietnam-era UH-1N Hueys, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command said Sept. 18. Boeing and Leonardo are teaming up to provide the MH-139s, a new military variant of a civilian helicopter that the Air Force chose one year ago. The fleet of up to 84 airframes will replace Bell-made Hueys at nuclear missile fields across the US and for other transport and VIP missions. After years of trying to get a helicopter on contract, the Air Force required that Boeing deliver the first two aircraft by the end of 2019. Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

Air Mobility Command this year is flying 15 percent more sorties than it did about three years ago—albeit with about 570 fewer pilots than it needs, and using a fleet nearly 40 percent smaller than at the beginning of the Iraq War. To address that burden, the Air Force is trying to keep as many pilots as possible, modernizing its fleet, and relying more on Air National Guard and Reserve crews, while also keeping an eye on future threats from potential adversaries. The command flew about 28,000 missions in 2018, transporting approximately 929,000 passengers and delivering around 690 million pounds of cargo. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

The Air Force and US Special Operations Command are testing out technology that could spell trouble for certain small fleets of highly specialized intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft—but the details are murky. When asked Sept. 18 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference which of those platforms the Air Force could afford to ditch in upcoming budgets without causing dire intel capability gaps, Lt. Gen. VeraLinn “Dash” Jamieson, the service’s deputy chief of staff for ISR and cyber effects operations, indicated SOCOM is already moving in that direction. “We actually tested out several capabilities and we’re looking at continuing that effort so that we can transition to a more autonomous ability,” she said. “You could get rid of certain things that maybe are very niche-oriented and have something that you could program to do more than one operation.” Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

Pacific Air Forces is growing its outreach to countries across the Indo-Pacific region to understand what airfields it could use if needed, and is doing so as China also works to spread its own influence. PACAF boss Gen. Charles Q. Brown said Sept. 18 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference he’s confident that, with the relationships the US has in the region, including close alliances with major countries like Australia and Japan, “we have a few more options” to wield military power from abroad than China does. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

Even the scant detail in the unclassified summary of the USAF flight plan for cyber operations makes clear the service’s determination to engage in the new battlespace of information warfare. Read the full story by Shaun Waterman.

The Green Mountain Boys received their first two F-35s Sept. 19. The Joint Strike Fighters, assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing at Burlington ANGB, Vt., touched down for a ceremony welcoming the jets that will replace local F-16s. The wing will eventually have 20 F-35s—17 primary aircraft and three spares. The base spent $100 million on repairs and improvements to prepare for and be able to operate the F-35. The wing has flown F-16s for 33 years, and received pushback from nearby residents for switching to the F-35. —Brian Everstine