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U.S. Air Force News

  • FY 17 NDAA impact on Airmen

    The approval of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 provides a number of changes for Airmen, retirees, and families, to include stabilizing readiness and end strength, improving pilot retention, modernizing compensation and benefits and enhancing transparency in the

  • Phantom's phinale

    Lt. Col. Ronald King, her pilot, grinned and eased her forward on the way into history. Today was 21 December. This was the final flight of the QF-4 Phantom – the final flight of AF 349 – and after 53 dedicated years of superior service, the final flight of the Phantom II would be done right.

  • Goldfein visits ISR Airmen

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein met with Airmen and leaders at 25th Air Force Headquarters in San Antonio Dec. 19.

  • AF announces 2016 Information Dominance Award winners

    Lt. Gen William Bender, the Air Force chief of information dominance and chief information officer, recently announced the winners of the 2016 General John P. Jumper Awards for Excellence in Warfighting Integration and the Air Force Information Dominance Annual Awards. The Air Force-level awards

  • Scoping it out: Shaw evaluated for Reaper mission

    Teams from Air Combat Command and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, conducted a site survey at Shaw AFB Dec. 13, to assess the base as a candidate for an MQ-9 Reaper mission.Shaw AFB is one of four installations being evaluated for a wing-level mission, and one of five in the running for a

  • ACC hosts chaplain leadership symposium

    Senior religious support teams from around the world met at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in early December for the Air Combat Command Chaplain Corps Leadership Development Symposium.

  • The long journey home

    Long rows of white marble headstones line the landscape of Arlington National Cemetery, each memorializing a fallen U.S. military member with a unique story of service to the nation. Nestled within Section 60 of the sprawling cemetery lies a marker for Air Force Maj. Troy Gilbert, an American

  • AFCENT helps deployed Airmen reach for their dreams

    Deployed Airmen often miss opportunities afforded to those back home; but personnel specialists at Air Forces Central Command headquarters here ensured deployed enlisted Airmen did not miss one opportunity – to pursue their ambitions of becoming part of the first group of enlisted pilots since World

  • The evolution of the combat RPA

    In the 1980s, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency added modern-day technology to the decades old idea of using remotely piloted aircraft for reconnaissance purposes. As a result the Air Force immediately purchased a long-endurance RPA called the GNAT 750, resulting in the creation,

  • Life after loss: One Air Force family’s journey to recovery

    In March 2016, Lt. Col. Melchizedek “Kato” Martinez, a career tactical communications officer, was welcomed home from another combat deployment, a constant in the Martinez family. His wife, Gail, along with their four children, had planned a family retreat to their second home, the one place that,

  • What to know before piloting a drone

    As unmanned aerial systems, also called drones, become more popular, the Federal Aviation Administration and local bases have established policy on how and when to operate drones.

  • Inside look: A sensor operator’s first weapons strike

    The feelings experienced during combat missions can be intense for many aircrew members. For Airman 1st Class Matthew, a 20-year-old 15th Attack Squadron MQ-1 Predator sensor operator, his first air strike was an event he will never forget.

  • Moody 'shields' aircraft from adversaries during CS

    Moody Air Force Base’s aircraft fleet routinely exhibits their abilities by providing mission-ready combat, rescue and transient assets. In order to attack, rescue and prevail, these guardians of the skies must be able to protect themselves, especially from electronic warfare.

  • James visits F.E. Warren, discusses force improvement efforts

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, the deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, visited F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, to speak directly with Airmen about ongoing improvement efforts throughout the nuclear enterprise, Dec. 7-8.

  • Multiple F-35s take to the skies to test communication data links

    All three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter were used by the 461st Flight Test Squadron in recent multi-ship testing, which employs four or six jets to ensure communication systems between the planes are working properly and accurately.  The F-35 contains state-of-the-art tactical data links

  • Palace Chase, Front offer alternatives to active duty

    Every year, thousands of individuals raise their right hand and commit to serve in the military as either enlisted members or officers. While some choose to serve for many years on active duty, others might elect to leave, but that doesn’t mean they can’t continue serving.

  • MQ-1, MQ-9 Millennials make difference on battlefield

    For the one percent of the U.S. population that chooses the path to serve in the armed forces, there are many opportunities. One prospective path in the Air Force lies in the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft enterprise.

  • AF selects 58 for test pilot school

    Air Force officials have selected 58 primary and alternate students for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Naval Test Pilot schools, with classes beginning June 2017.

  • Air Force Agreement Allows Ionospheric Research to Continue

    Because of a recent Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), more than twenty-five years of science and atmospheric research will continue at the High Frequency Active Auroral

  • AFCENT Tankers fuel the fight

    In the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the Iraqi counteroffensive to liberate Mosul, no nation works alone. In the skies, pilots from 19 nations work tirelessly to dismantle, disrupt and ultimately destroy ISIL by striking infrastructure, roadways and other high-value

  • Civilian tuition assistance increases to $1M, expands eligibility

    The Air Force has received an additional $400,000, for a total of $1 million, for its 2017 civilian tuition assistance program, and all permanent, full-time appropriated fund employees, including those in wage-grade positions, are now eligible to participate.

  • TRICARE continues to expand coverage

    Effective in early December, TRICARE will expand coverage to include the care and treatment of beneficiaries requiring an auditory osseointegrated implant (AOI) to non-active-duty family members, and we will also cover the services and supplies needed to diagnose and treat illness or injury of the

  • Tyndall host Checkered Flag, Combat Archer

    The skies over Tyndall Air Force Base will soon be filled with a variety of aircraft as they partake in Checkered Flag 17-1 and Combat Archer 17-3, concurrent large-scale total force aerial integration exercises that will run Dec. 5-16.

  • Medical squadron streamlines inpatient medication processes

    The pharmacy at the Mike O’Callaghan Federal Medical Center on Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, recently modernized their inpatient medication process by implementing barcode technology to multiple medication dispensing machines throughout the medical center and streamlining and safeguarding the way

  • Whiteman pilot reflects on 6,000 hours in the A-10

    Nearly three decades of flying and 11 combat deployments later, Lt. Col. John Marks, a pilot with the 303rd Fighter Squadron has achieved a milestone that equates to 250 days in the cockpit, which most fighter pilots will never reach and puts him among the highest time fighter pilots in the Air

  • AF partners with OSU for stress evaluation, recovery methods

    The Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the Ohio State University. Special operations units in the Defense Department are physically and mentally elite due to the training they endure. Since special operations

  • Base level cyber squadron takes flight

    In April, communications squadrons across the Air Force were tasked by their respective major commands to be pathfinder units in what has become known as the “Cyber Squadron Initiative” construct. This is meant to be a transition effort toward a new cyber unit that integrates defensive cyber

  • New program to help ISR aircrews cope with different kind of PTSD

    Finding targets by watching and listening is, by nature, intensely personal and can have a long-lasting effect, to include post-traumatic stress disorder, on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance Airmen involved. The 361st ISR Group is developing a ‘Re-Fit’ program which will assist Airmen

  • Korean War veteran honored by nephew

    Maj. Gen. Scott Vander Hamm, the Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff of operations, presented retired Chief Master Sgt. Russell Rhodes with the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal during a ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Nov. 15. The medal is given as an expression of thanks from the

  • Bully Brothers

    Airman 1st Class Jarret Nave, a 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron electro-mechanical technician, knew where he wished to be stationed when he booked the same job as his older brother. As fate would have it, he ended up with the same job as his brother Senior Airman Todd Nave, a 91st MMXS missile

  • AF supports improved method for transporting TBI patients

    Scientists with the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine are playing an important part in the testing and evaluation of a novel aeromedical evacuation stretcher designed to safely transport traumatic brain and spinal injury patients in air and ground vehicles.

  • Goldfein discusses changing face of war

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein spoke with Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber in Washington D.C. Nov. 17 and gave the reasoning behind the changes being contemplated for the future of defense. In addition to being responsible for the “man, train and equip” mission for the Air Force, the

  • Airmen provide air base defense in northern Iraq

    Today, defenders assigned to the 821st Contingency Response Group are on the front lines in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, providing air base defense for Qayyarah West Airfield in northern Iraq.

  • Intel training streamlined

    When it comes to having the leading edge in air, space and cyberspace, non-commissioned officers from the 70th Operations Support Squadron have taken it to a new level, training Airmen on the importance of Air Force National Tactical Integration (AF NTI).

  • SecDef ensures future military readiness during JBSA visit

     Secretary of Defense Ash Carter traveled to Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 16, during a trip focused on ensuring the readiness of the U.S. military and the effectiveness of the training and equipment provided to today’s warfighters. While at JBSA, Carter spoke with Airmen who had just

  • Air Force promotions eliminates time-in-grade, time-in-service points

    Time-in-grade and time-in-service points in active duty enlisted promotion consideration will be eliminated beginning with the 17E7 master sergeant promotion cycle, and all future promotion cycles, the Air Force recently announced. This is the final step in a gradual reduction of points for TIG/TIS

  • F-16CM ACCIDENT REPORT RELEASED

    An Accident Investigation Board found that an F-16CM Fighting Falcon suffered an engine hardware malfunction resulting in its crash into a rural area in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility on March 29.

  • Unique rehab center gets injured Airmen back on duty

    Not long after receiving innovative care for serious combat-related injuries, 2nd Lt. Marc Esposito gave his future wife a tour of the unique rehabilitation center that helped the Air Force special operator get back to jumping out of planes. The state-of-the-art setting cast with advanced technology

  • AFRL program turns junior workforce into rapid innovators

    Junior force personnel within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate are making the most of their opportunity to showcase innovation and leadership skills through the Junior Force Warfighters Operations in RX, or JFWORX, program.

  • CSAF announces CMSAF #18

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein named Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright to serve as the 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Nov. 16, 2016.

  • US, Japan forces work together during Keen Sword

    Members from the Japan Self-Defense Forces and U.S. Forces, Japan, came together for Keen Sword 2017 at Yokota Air Base from Oct. 30 – Nov. 11. KS17 involved U.S. forces and the JSDF from all components of both militaries, training to conduct bilateral operations in support of the defense of Japan.

  • AF unveils latest ‘Veterans in Blue’ exhibit

    The seventh volume of “Veterans in Blue” is now available online. The exhibit captures 28 stories of heroism and service by Air Force veterans. Each veteran’s portrait is also displayed at the Pentagon.

  • 305 make next cut for enlisted RPA pilot selection

    Air Force officials have chosen 305 active-duty enlisted Airmen for the next phase of the Enlisted Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilot Selection Board process as part of a deliberate approach to enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.

  • Around the Air Force: Nov. 8

    On this look around the Air Force enlisted pilots take their first solo flight and a World War II bomber pilot is awarded the Silver Star.

  • Airman beats cancer, completes 22nd marathon

    His cancer diagnosis came as a complete surprise. After all, he had just run his 21st marathon. Other than a recent cold, he was a picture of perfect health. Chief Master Sgt. Todd Kirkwood, the 167th Maintenance Group superintendent, received the news of his diagnosis the day after Thanksgiving in

  • Innovative cyber program protects critical Tyndall AFB assets

    The 325th Communications Squadron became the first Air Combat Command squadron to join a new initiative to ensure Tyndall Air Force Base is able to train and project unrivaled combat airpower.The Cyber Squadron Innovation is a pathfinder program among Air Force communication squadrons, enabling

  • STRATCOM welcomes Hyten as new commander

    Gen. John E. Hyten took command of U.S. Strategic Command from Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney during a change of command ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, Nov. 3.

  • Report released for 2015 MQ-1B crash

    An MQ-1B Predator was destroyed in a Oct. 17, 2015, crash after experiencing electronic systems failure and loss of control due to a lightning strike, according to an Air Combat Command Abbreviated Accident Investigation Board report released Nov. 2.

  • Edwards AFB squadron tests missile for European ally’s F-35

    From Norway to Australia, members from a number of allied and partner nations have come to Edwards Air Force Base to team with base units to test systems, enhance international cooperation and advance their own air force’s capabilities.

  • Adversaries’ ever-changing tactics require quick responses

    In the ongoing fight between coalition forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, U.S. adversaries have added explosives-laden drones to their weapons arsenal, according to recent stories in the news. In October, adversaries used a drone, intended for surveillance use, to injure troops on

  • FY 2017 NCO retraining program application window now open

    The Air Force has released fiscal year 2017 retraining quotas for eligible NCOs via the NCO Retraining Program.The retraining program is a complimentary tool used to help balance and sustain the enlisted force as the Air Force continues to grow. While the Air Force is still undermanned across the

  • RED HORSE elite team compared to real life superheroes

    A 21-member civil engineering team whose main objectives are to air insert themselves to repair battle-damaged airfields and quickly return them to service. The team is composed of electricians, structures, heavy equipment operators, vehicle maintenance and services personnel.

  • AMC commander: Airmen, partnerships, technology key to mobility’s future

    The Air Mobility Command commander showcased the impact of mobility Airmen on current global operations while highlighting ways in which partnership and technology will shape the future, in a presentation during the 48th annual AMC and Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium here, Oct. 29.In a nod to

  • Overcoming cancer, embracing life

    She placed a pillow under her right shoulder and put her right arm behind her head on the bed. Using her left hand, she pressed the pads of her fingers around her right breast gently in small circular motions, covering the entire breast area and armpit.

  • Taking the fight to the cyberspace frontier

    In a highly secure, underground facility in Colorado Springs, crews of operators in a room full of computers keep an ever vigilant eye, protecting worldwide U.S. assets around the clock. This facility is not underneath tons of granite in the midst of Cheyenne Mountain, like a more well-known part of

  • QF-4 mission nearly complete

    The QF-4 Aerial Target mission is winding down and two of the aircraft visited here Oct. 25 so that those who have supported F-4 Phantom IIs over the years could see them one last time.

  • James focused on diversity, emerging threats, space

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James joined the secretaries of the Army and Navy for a “conversation with the service secretaries” panel hosted by the Center for a New American Security here Oct. 24.

  • Around the Air Force: Oct. 25

    On this look around the Air Force special tactics Airmen are honored with a memorial and Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visits the first enlisted RQ-4 Global Hawk pilot class.

  • Air Force’s first robotic surgery training course established at Keesler

    The Keesler Medical Center recently acquired two da Vinci Xi robotic surgical systems, one for surgeries and the other for training, which is one of the newest systems out there and the first of its kind for the Air Force. Also, Keesler’s Clinical Research Laboratory has set up a training facility,

  • Weapons squadrons integrate combat skillsets

    Two B-52s from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and two B-1 Lancers from Dyess AFB, Texas, flew together and performed more than 200 simulated missile launches as part of a weapons school integration exercise.

  • Boom operators help develop new KC-46 system

    Earlier this year in Everett, Washington, workers from Detachment 1, 418th Flight Test Squadron, and Boeing teamed up to achieve major test milestones for the KC-46A Pegasus, which resulted in the Defense Department authorizing initial production in August.

  • ‘Not disabilities but different abilities’

    October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Lt. Col. Brandon Sokora, the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, shared his story during a lunch celebrating the many varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities.

  • AF engineers repair runway in Iraq

    The 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group arrived in northern Iraq to conduct a reconnaissance mission for what would become a historic undertaking. Their mission: mitigate runway damage caused by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

  • AFRL system revolutionizes research process

    The Autonomous Research System (ARES) may not look like “Johnny Five,” the famous robot from the 1986 movie “Short Circuit,” but this robot’s ability to integrate robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and data science is altering materials research in a big way at Air Force Research Laboratory.

  • Air traffic controller began life as Italian Air Force pilot's daughter

    Airman 1st Class Giorgia Repici grew up hearing her father tell stories about his adventures as a C-130J pilot in the Italian Air Force. She dreamed of becoming a pilot until she was told she was one centimeter too short. So she became an air traffic controller in the U.S. Air Force instead.

  • DARPA transfers advanced space debris Telescope to AF

    The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has worked with the Air Force to develop an advanced telescope that already is revolutionizing space situational awareness and helping prevent potential collisions with satellites or planet Earth.

  • James hosts spouse, family forum

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James hosted a Spouse and Family Forum in the Smart Center Auditorium on Joint Base Andrews Oct. 19.

  • Guardsmen, ski-equipped planes begin annual migration to South Pole

    Airmen and ski-equipped aircraft from the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing have started their annual journey to Antarctica. Two ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules and 23 Airmen left Stratton Air National Guard Base Oct. 18 to participate in the wing's 29th season supporting Operation Deep

  • Hanscom looks to leverage industry to improve air picture

    A program office at Hanscom Air Force Base is working to improve and upgrade a system that provides comprehensive air surveillance and defense with a recent request for information and industry days.The Battle Control Systems Fixed, or BCS-F, provides a comprehensive air picture for North America

  • AFOSI: Play it safe with cyber security

    In this day and age, hackers and scammers are finding new ways to exploit unsuspecting victims using various illegal cyber techniques. Internet crimes like phishing, spamming, cyber terrorism, cyber bullying, online identity theft and cyber stalking have been constant concerns on the Defense

  • Pilot carries on four generations of tradition

    Some people say flying is in their DNA. That couldn’t be truer for Capt. John Lockheed, an Air Force Reserve pilot assigned to the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base. He’s a fourth-generation pilot -- continuing a family tradition that encompasses more than a century of flight.

  • New test force focuses on autonomy

    The 412th Test Wing has a new organization that will explore the Air Force warfighting capabilities of tomorrow.The Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force was officially activated in early July and its mission is to provide agile, innovative flight test capabilities for emerging

  • CSAF letter to Airmen

    This paper is the second in a series to share my thinking behind three key CSAF focus areas over the next four years. As stated in the first paper, "Revitalizing Squadrons – the Heartbeat of the Air Force", these ideas are neither revolutionary nor a significant vector change. Each align with our

  • Flexible batteries: Evolving energy for the ‘new’ reality

    By using highly conductive, flexible carbon nanotube mats, scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory have developed a new type of flexible lithium-ion battery that not only stores energy, but can be folded, bent and manipulated hundreds of times without voltage fluctuations, revolutionizing

  • E-4Bs realign under 8th Air Force, 595th CACG stands up

    The 8th Air Force has another aircraft in its inventory, and it’s not a bomber. The E-4B, which serves as the National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC) and is a key component of the National Military Command System for the president, the secretary of defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently

  • Remains of fighter pilot hero return home after 10 years

    This week, nearly 10 years after he was killed in combat operations in Iraq, U.S. forces brought home the remains of F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot Maj. Troy Gilbert, who died saving the lives of U.S. service members and coalition allies.