NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Secretary of the Air Force announces Grand Forks AFB re-designation

    The re-designation, initiated by Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, aligns Grand Forks AFB’s host wing and the 69th Reconnaissance Group. The 69th RG, which flies the high-altitude, remotely-piloted RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft, has been aligned under the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale

  • Air Force to reactivate aggressor squadron for F-35 training

    The action came after Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, recommended training for fifth generation fighter tactics development and close-air support would be improved by adding F-35s to complement the fourth generation aircraft currently being used.

  • AERONet prototype could provide combat insight to allies

    The Airborne Extensible Relay Over-Horizon Network, or AERONet, digitally links friendly forces, providing them with their own location, the location of other friendly forces and real-time enemy movement updates. It will be showcased to partner nations at the Bold Quest exercise in Finland this

  • CSAF helps honor rescue community

    The three-day event brought past and present ‘Jolly Greens’ together to celebrate their heritage, reminisce about past missions and to present the JGA’s final Rescue Mission of the Year award to crews from the 41st Rescue Squadron and 48th RQS.

  • Munitions complex coming to Eglin AFB

    The Air Force Research Laboratory facility, officially designated as the Advanced Munitions Technology Complex, will provide increased munitions research and test capabilities for the warfighter.

  • Operation Restore Paradise enhances readiness through adaptive basing

    Airmen deploy frequently, leaving their work centers behind. But what if Airmen stayed and their work centers deployed?The Air Force has two deployable Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratories called a Rapid Assistance Support for Calibration unit. Mountain Home Air Force Base is trusted with

  • Hill AFB F-35A units assist in F-16 fighter training

    For the last two weeks, F-16 basic course students and instructor pilots from the 311th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, have been flying with and against the Air Force’s first operational F-35A units.

  • Hill AFB fighter wings conduct combat exercise

    The friendly and enemy forces were made up of F-35 Lightning IIs from Hill AFB, F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 311th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, and 80th FS at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and a team of contracted aggressor pilots from Draken International, at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

  • 818th MSAS, Burkinabé Partnership: Restoring Rotary Wing Capability

    The 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron sent a rotary wing maintenance and operations mobile training team to Burkina Faso, Africa, April 5-20 to train and aid the partner nation in identifying the cause of significant mechanical issues impacting the Burkina Faso air force’s UH-1H helicopter

  • Exercise Rapid Weasel enhances 52nd Fighter Wing innovation, readiness

    “Rapid Weasel was a demonstration of the 52nd FW’s ability to rapidly project combat power by opening an airfield, refueling and re-arming fighter aircraft, then quickly departing to other locations,” said Lt. Col. Leonardo Tongko, 435th Contingency Response Squadron commander.

  • PJs sharpen skills during exercise Razor’s Edge

    Razor’s Edge is a two-week long exercise where pararescuemen train to be better prepared for unilateral and joint combat search and rescue operations in any situation and environment. To meet these expectations they endure rigorous training reflective of real-world scenarios that they may encounter

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • 1st WXG’s virtual training brings real benefits

    Airmen assigned to the 1st Weather Group are rolling out virtual reality training tailored to the needs of the Air Force Weather community, allowing them to train faster and smarter.Delivered in March, 1st WXG’s NextGen Environmental Weather Training System simulates setting up and assembling a

  • AFMETCAL updates NextGen

    The updates included fixes to software bugs and automated support capability for pieces of old and new Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment.

  • New training prepares Airmen to save lives

    Airmen are “arming up” their life-saving skills with Tactical Combat Casualty Care, also known as TCCC.TCCC is a standardized course created to equip every Airman, Soldier, Sailor and Marine with the basic skills to save lives in combat operations.

  • Military working dog hunts down aircrew

    Staff Sgt. Antonio Padilla, 336th Security Forces Squadron military working dog trainer, and Alf, 366th SFS military working dog, acting as opposition forces, hunt down pilots to enhance the combat readiness of both parties during a search and rescue operation as part of a Gunfighter Flag exercise

  • Johnson retires after 32 years

    Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark Johnson has twice been a senior leader at Defense Logistics Agency, first as director of DLA Aviation from March 2013 to March 2015. Then after a two-year tour as commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, he returned to the

  • 2019 BTF comes to an end

    The BTF deployment enabled theater integration and training with joint partners, allied nations and other U.S. Air Force units, to further enhance bomber interoperability in the theater.

  • Hill AFB Airmen deploy F-35A to support coalition forces

    Airmen from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill Air Force Base deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, to support the Air Force Central Command mission in the Middle East. The aircraft arrived in country on April 15.

  • I-WEPTAC delivers third straight year of innovation

    More than 1,000 Air Force senior leaders, mission support leaders from across the force and members of the JBSA community heard how the four MAWGs would tackle challenges based on this year’s topic of “The Installation as a Weapons System.”

  • Using dynamite and TNT to enhance nuclear mission

    With the assistance and expertise of explosive ordnance disposal Airmen from the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron, AFTAC’s Systems Development Directorate personnel tested a new system to determine if their creative ingenuity could be operationally deployed in the field.

  • ACE helps programs avoid risk and grows managers

    When the Combat Search And Rescue mission-planning application needed modernization, its program managers turned to the Acquisition Center of Excellence at Hanscom Air Force Base to chart a process for fast fielding using CSAR Airmen’s frequent input.

  • CSAF stresses importance of mission support role at I-WEPTAC

    The Air Force’s top general stressed the installation and mission support community’s role in the National Defense Strategy when he kicked off the 3rd Annual Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conference, or I-WEPTAC, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, April 8.

  • Air Force PEAT lead visits Joint Base Langley-Eustis

    The Air Force Physiological Episodes Action team lead visited the NASA Langley Research Center March 28, to discuss the importance of an ongoing pilot breathing assessment with senior Air Combat Command health officials and NASA engineers.

  • ACC announces 24th and 25th NAF merger

    Air Combat Command is merging 24th and 24th numbered Air Forces at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, this summer to better integrate cyber effects, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, electronic warfare operations and information operations.

  • Military to bring eye care to front lines with mobile app

    Eye injuries in a deployed setting can be a significant setback for any Airman, but new telemedicine capabilities are helping to keep them in the fight. With funding from the 59th Medical Wing, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, Air Force and Army medical researchers are developing a HIPAA-compliant

  • Wilson, Goldfein outline Air Force progress, need for larger force

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday that the Air Force must get bigger and funding must be predictable to meet – and defeat – security threats at home, globally and in space in an era of great

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Scobee highlights Air Force Reserve success on Capitol Hill

    Lt. Gen. Richard W. Scobee, chief of Air Force Reserve and Air Force Reserve Command commander, testified on the status of the Reserve and the fiscal year 2020 budget request before the U.S. House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee, March 26, on Capitol Hill. Counterparts from the Army,

  • Two nations, one mission: US TACP, Thai CCT join forces

    The U.S. tactical air control party Airmen lower tactical vests over their heads with practiced confidence, quietly relaying a composure born of constant training. They strap their helmets on and prepare for the first strike of the day.

  • Air Commando pursues dream of flying on AFSOC airframes

    As a child, she sat in front of the TV watching the “Top Gun” movie over and over again and listening to Tom Cruise proclaim, “I feel the need – the need for speed!” Watching the aircraft soar across the screen made it clear to her that she wanted to fly when she grew up.

  • CMSAF Wright visits Recce Town

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright visited multiple units and hosted an all call at Beale Air Force Base, March 20-21.

  • AFW2 announces 2019 Warrior Games team

    The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, or AFW2, is proud to announce the 2019 Air Force Warrior Games team. A team of coaches and staff selected 40 primary and ten alternates at the 6th Annual Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, March 7th. The 40-person team will go on to compete at

  • 2nd annual C-130J fly-in grows Herc Nation

    Representatives from eight C-130J Super Hercules units came together to train and enhance mobility partnerships across the C-130J enterprise during the second annual fly-in at Little Rock Air Force Base, March 9-16.

  • Securing the High Ground with Partners

    U.S. Air Forces Central Command published its January Airpower Summary March 7. The year 2019 began with airpower supporting joint coalition and partner forces fighting violent extremist groups in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

  • IFF: Where fighter pilots begin their careers

    Before pilots step into fighter aircraft, they must go through Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals.IFF is an eight-week course designed to transform newly graduated pilots selected to fly fighters into fighter wingmen. The 49th Fighter Training Squadron teaches pilots the discipline, attitude and

  • International environment, innovation to headline 21st-century pilot training

    The 77th meeting of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Steering Committee, which is the governing body of the world’s only internationally manned and operated pilot training program, was held at Sheppard Air Force Base, March 11-15, to give representatives from partner nations an opportunity to

  • CSAF celebrates life of Parker Greene

    It’s a rare quiet morning on Moody Air Force Base. A crowd begins to amass in a hangar with their heads held high and smiling as they greet one another, all the while mourning the loss of the most influential civic leader and advocate Moody AFB, and many argue the Air Force, has ever had.

  • U.S. Air Force B-52s deploy to Europe

    A Bomber Task Force deployment of B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, Airmen and support equipment from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, have arrived in the U.S. European Command area of operations for a deployment to conduct theater integration and flying training.

  • AMC extends Osprey capabilities

    CV-22 Osprey aircraft, assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron, performed Tactical Air-Refueling missions with a KC-10 Extender aircraft March 7-11, over the Southwest region of the U.S.

  • 4th Special Operations Squadron receives first AC-130J Ghostrider

    The 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, is now home to Air Force Special Operations Command’s newest aircraft – the Block 30 AC-130J Ghostrider gunship.Similar to the Block 20 AC-130Js flown by the 73rd Special Operations Squadron, the Block 30 upgrade marks a major improvement in

  • XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator completes inaugural flight

    The XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator, a long-range, high subsonic unmanned air vehicle completed its inaugural flight March 5, 2019, at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. The Air Force Research Laboratory partnered with Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems to develop the XQ-58A.

  • Army names 362nd TRS instructor best of quarter

    Tech. Sgt. Casey Andersen, 362nd Training Squadron Detachment 1 UH-60 helicopter maintenance course instructor, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia was recently recognized as Distinguished Instructor of the Quarter for the Army’s 128th Aviation Brigade, the best out of more than 500 instructors.

  • 2018 Air Force Safety Awards announced

    Maj. Gen. John T. Rauch Jr., Air Force chief of safety, recently announced the recipients of the five Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Safety Awards, as well as the Chief of Safety Awards for 2018.

  • AFSFC begins delivery of new Air Force-wide handgun

    The Air Force Security Forces Center, in partnership with the Air Force Small Arms Program Office, has begun fielding the new M18 SIG Sauer Modular Handgun System to security forces units as part of the Reconstitute Defender Initiative and its effort to modernize weapon systems and increase

  • Wilson’s glide path for a more lethal, ready Air Force of the future

    Emphasizing priorities that will largely define the year ahead, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson stressed the need to modernize and grow the force. She also highlighted how streamlining acquisitions will inject innovative ideas and tools faster and more reliably into every corner of the

  • F-35A maintainers, special ops team up for forward refueling

    For the first time, Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah and Airmen from the 26th Special Tactics Squadron and the 27th Special Operation Logistics Readiness Squadron at Cannon AFB, trained and carried out a Forward Air Refueling Point operation from the MC-130J Commando

  • Commanders, senior raters to select IDE attendees

    Beginning with the 2019 Developmental Education Designation Board, wing commanders and some senior raters will be able to select one Line of the Air Force officer per academic year to attend Intermediate Developmental Education in residence.

  • Supporting warfighters: Two workforces come together with one mission in mind

    Child care, golf, bowling, community center, lodging operations and outdoor recreation. These operations, and many more, are designed to support the morale, welfare and recreation of Airmen and their families and rely heavily on one thing to make them tick … nonappropriated fund, or NAF, employees.

  • Industry gets schooled on MDC2

    Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, projected its quiet power during the Multi-Domain Command and Control (MDC2) Industry Day, Feb. 20, at the Minuteman Educational Center, according to speaker Eileen Vidrine, the Air Force's chief data officer.

  • Combat metals: The modern-day blacksmiths

    While there are a lot of precautionary measures in place to prevent bird strikes and other aircraft incidents, they are not 100 percent preventable.When these incidents occur, there’s a small group of Airmen who are called upon to do patchwork to get the aircraft back to base and to fix the damage

  • Phase dock keeps F-16s in top shape for Operation Inherent Resolve

    With each strike, coalition partners move a step closer to the defeat of ISIS’ so-called physical caliphate. The 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron’s relentless pursuit supporting Operation Inherent Resolve comes with an insatiable maintenance need for the F-16C Fighting Falcons at the 407th Air

  • Army GLO connects ground intent to air action

    Communication between the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard is similar to trying to understand a different language because each service uses different lingo and acronyms in their daily operations.

  • CRW delivers agile mobility expertise during exercise Green Flag Little Rock

    The sound of gunfire echoed across the open field at the Geronimo Landing Zone as Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing based out of Travis Air Force Base, California, responded to a simulated base attack during a training mission in support of Green Flag Little Rock exercise, Feb. 6-17.

  • Davis-Monthan AFB exercise balances flexibility, survivability, lethality

    Landing in an austere location, a small number of Airmen move at a rapid pace to accomplish a very specific mission. With only the supplies needed to survive for a week, they begin to unload food, shelter and equipment. After unloading, they set up a campsite as home base for their operations.