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  • Donovan visits B-21, X-37B facilities, L3 Harris Technologies

    Acting Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Donovan visited Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Design and Development Headquarters and the Kennedy Space Center to review the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Processing Facility, as well as the newly merged L3 Harris Technologies, Inc.

  • 509th MXS propulsion flight Airmen boost readiness to 18-year high

    The 509th Maintenance Squadron Propulsion Flight has achieved the highest engine readiness rate across the active-duty Air Force. 40 jet engine mechanics operate out of a repair center on base, ensuring the readiness of Whiteman Air Force Base’s 44 billion dollar fleet of B-2 Spirits.

  • 380th AEW AWACS provide the big picture to combatant commanders

    Staff Sgt. Joshua Payne, 968th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron senior surveillance technician, works within a crew that regularly reaches more than 20, each having their own specific purpose on a very technical level. Their role is to help the pilot expand this limited scope of data, and

  • Hill AFB Airmen expand F-35A combat capability in Rapid Forge

    The goal is to expand the Air Force’s adaptive or agile basing ability, a concept in which aircraft operate from forward, temporary, sometimes contested locations. The ability to land, refuel and rearm at forward airfields gives commanders more flexibility to strike and limits enemies’ ability to

  • Final AC-130U Spooky returns from combat deployment

    While still on alert to respond to contingencies as needed for the next few months, the Spooky is being replaced downrange by the AC-130J Ghostrider, the most lethal and innovative gunship in the world.

  • Whiteman AFB commemorates 30-year anniversary of B-2 test flight

    For three decades, B-2 crews have participated in five major military operations and countless training engagements. The bomber has completed missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and, most recently, Libya. The B-2 was also the first aircraft over Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, for which

  • Gunfighters use 1950s tech on F-35 for a huge win

    Airmen from the 366th Logistics Readiness Squadron, also known as Gunfighters, are the first in the Air Force to perform hot-pit refueling on F-35 Lightning II’s with a Type 1 hydrant system from the 1950s and hose cart from the 1970s.

  • 815th Airlift Squadron delivers during Swift Response '19

    For exercise Swift Response '19, military members across two continents work as a team to conduct training to increase the participating nations’ readiness, capabilities and capacity to conduct full-spectrum military operations. They use combined training which fosters trust, increases

  • Misawa Block-50 F-16 hits 10K hours, an AF first

    One of Misawa Air Base’s most famous flight line assets hit a historic milestone June 10 as a 29-year-old Block-50 F-16 Fighting Falcon, tail number 808 affectionately known as “BOB,” reached 10,000 flight hours during a sortie flown across Japan.

  • AFRL XQ-58A UAV completes second successful flight

    The Air Force Research Laboratory developed a low-cost unmanned air vehicle together with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. The joint effort falls within AFRL’s Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology portfolio, which has the goal to break the escalating cost trajectory of tactically

  • Agile BOLT maintainers support F-35 deployment

    These Blended Operational Lightning Technician or BOLT maintainers are currently deployed alongside the 421st Fighter Squadron during a Theater Security Package to Europe and they’ve sent the first 388th Fighter Wing maintainer to ever be qualified in six different aspects of F-35 maintenance.

  • Reserve Airmen hunt hurricanes

    This specialized unit of Reserve Airmen is made up of a five-person crew consisting of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, aerial reconnaissance weather officer and loadmaster who is also the dropsonde operator.

  • Exercise Northern Edge 2019 comes to a close

    The fully integrated, large-scale exercise provided realistic and comprehensive joint training opportunities in and around Alaskan land and airspace, as well as in and above the Gulf of Alaska. NE19 participants trained on defensive counter-air, close-air support and air interdiction of maritime

  • Reserve & Active Airmen team up at Palmetto Challenge

    Airmen trained on “real world” scenarios that could happen in a deployed environment when provided limited resources. For exercise purposes, there were two “deployed” locations, one at Pope AAF and the other at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina.

  • AFMC team receives prestigious award for life-saving aircraft technology

    The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, or Auto-GCAS, team won the 2018 Robert J. Collier Trophy, an award bestowed annually by the National Aeronautic Association that recognizes “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance,

  • Hill AFB F-35s, Airmen deploy to Europe as part of Theater Security Package

    Funded through the European Deterrence Initiative, the TSP provides a more robust U.S. military rotational presence in the European theater capable of deterring adversaries and assuring partners and allies of U.S. commitment to regional security. The F-35s and members of the 421st and 466th Fighter

  • Airmen come together for Combat Archer exercise

    The Combat Archer exercise, also known as the Weapons Systems Evaluation Program, is the Department of Defense’s largest air-to-air live-fire evaluation exercise. Squadron leaders monitor the lifespan of a missile to assess execution performance by maintenance crew members, aircraft armament systems

  • Wise Guy back in the sky

    A team of Reserve Citizen Airmen and active duty maintainers spent four months prepping Wise Guy, a B-52 Stratofortress for flight. The bomber had been at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group since 2008.

  • Air Force’s top recruiter climbs even higher

    Master Sgt. Gervacio Maldonado, a former Health Professions recruiter and now flight chief with the 318th Recruiting Squadron, was surprised and ecstatic when he learned winning the 2018 Maj. Gen. A.J. Stewart Top AFRS Recruiter award would take him even higher.

  • 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.

  • Thunderbird performance dazzles Make-A-Wish families

    The Make-A-Wish Foundation offered children diagnosed with critical illnesses a chance to view U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds in action during their unique over-the-water practice demonstration at The Thunder Over the Sound: Keesler and Biloxi Air and Space Show on the beach in Biloxi, Mississippi, May

  • 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 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.

  • Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II arrives for first Middle East deployment

    As the first deployment to the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility, crews are prepared and trained for the AFCENT mission. The F-35A, the conventional takeoff and landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, provides greater operational capability by combining advanced stealth

  • New chapter for the 911th Airlift Wing

    As of the first week of April, three out of the eight C-17s assigned to the 911th AW will be stationed at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station. The rest of the aircraft are to arrive over the next few months.

  • Spark Cell winner solves mid-air refueling problem

    Tinkering with a small communication box in his home garage, recent Spark Cell winner Staff Sgt. Jeremie Anderson, 9th Special Operations Squadron MC-130J Commando II instructor loadmaster, discovered an innovation in mid-air refueling that changed the way loadmasters execute the mission.

  • B-1B returns to Arnold Air Force Base for store separation testing

    It had been nearly 20 years since a test involving the B-1B Lancer aircraft was conducted by Arnold Engineering Development Complex at Arnold Air Force Base. This long absence recently came to an end, as a 10-percent model of the bomber is now being used to conduct a series of store separation tests

  • 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

  • Conventional Rotary Launcher upgrade tested

    An upgrade to the B-52 Stratofortress and the Conventional Rotary Launcher was tested, Feb. 11. The change is designed to increase mission flexibility and make the B-52 more lethal in a combat environment.

  • Innovation in tight spaces

    As Hurricane Michael churned toward the Emerald Coast of Florida, F-35A Lightning IIs from the 33rd Fighter Wing evacuated to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, to avoid the storm’s path and potential catastrophic damage. As Michael passed, narrowly missing Eglin AFB, a different type of storm

  • BACN improves communication for deployed troops

    There is an aircraft that is so unique, you can only find it in one place – not even the pilots who fly the aircraft can touch it until they are deployed to this specific location.

  • AF declares the F-35A ‘combat ready’

    The F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, Aug 2.

  • F-35 Lightning II costs drop, report shows

    A recent account of F-35 Lightning II aircraft program costs shows decreases, the Air Force’s F-35 program executive officer told reporters in a media roundtable March 24, 2015.

  • First Luke F-35 student takes to the sky

    The 56th Fighter Wing officially began training new F-35 Lightning II pilots when the first student, Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the commander of the 56th Fighter Wing, flew the wing's first training sortie March 18.

  • WWII pilot reunited with P-47

    Sitting in a wheelchair with images of airplanes on his shirt and a U.S. Army Air Corp hat on his head, 92-year-old retired Air National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Hertel was reunited with the P-47 Thunderbolt during the Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course here Feb. 28.

  • Australian F-35 lands at new home

    The first Royal Australian air force F-35A Lightning II arrived at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona Dec. 18, marking the first international partner to arrive for training.

  • Pilot killed in Middle East F-16 crash

    A U.S. Air Force pilot was killed when an F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed in a non-combat-related incident November 30 at approximately 11 p.m. EST. The aircraft was returning to its base in the Middle East shortly after take-off. The crash did not occur in Iraq or Syria.

  • Air Force identifies nickel-free material for F-35 aircraft systems

    Through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the Air Force, Triton Systems, Inc., located in Massachusetts, developed a nickel-free material technology that is positioned for transition to several F-35 Joint Strike Fighter applications. Transition of this technology is

  • AF engineers log record-breaking accelerated engine test

    A highly successful accelerated mission test (AMT) of Pratt & Whitney's F135 conventional take-off and landing/carrier variant (CTOL/CV) engine was recently completed in the Sea Level 3 test cell (SL-3) at the Arnold Engineering Development Center.

  • Air Force pilot develops plan to reduce jet fuel consumption

    The Air Force spends more than $9 billion annually on energy. Aviation consumes 86 percent of that amount. In support of the Air Force Energy Strategic Plan to foster an energy aware culture and reduce aviation fuel consumption, an instructor pilot from the 5th Flying Training Squadron has

  • Kadena Airmen pay tribute to MC-130P retirement

    From providing helicopter air-to-air refueling to conducting long-range support of special operations forces, the MC-130P Combat Shadow has provided a critical service to the U.S. military for nearly 50 years.

  • Air Force rebuts report due to outdated data

    The Air Force believes a recent Department of Defense Inspector General report that critiqued Air Force MQ-9 procurement plans to buy 401 Reaper aircraft, stating that 46 aircraft may not be needed, is based on data that is out of date.

  • Global Strike provides deterrence for the modern era

    The Air Force recently demonstrated its nuclear deterrence and power projection capabilities through a coordinated display of strategic combat power.Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen -- responsible for two legs of the nation's nuclear triad -- conducted the demonstrations, which included

  • F-35 on time to deliver global security, Air Force official said

    Work leading up the completion of the multinational F-35 program is largely on track, the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office executive officer said in remarks during the 2014 Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 15.

  • Air Force leadership confident in KC-46 program

    The Air Force program executive officer for tankers briefed Air Force and industry leaders on the KC-46A Pegasus’s production progress and acquisition timeline at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 16.

  • Recon squadron keeps remotely piloted aircraft flying

    "To provide world-class, full spectrum remotely piloted aircraft operations for the joint forces in Afghanistan," is the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron's motto. The unit's Airmen work 24 hours a day to provide 84 percent of Central Commands' RPA combat air patrols.

  • Kandahar's Liberty operations reach end of mission

    After four years of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, the 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron will complete their MC-12W Liberty operations in southern Afghanistan at the beginning of September 2014.

  • Braving the heat, breaking records

    Even with the doors open, temperatures inside the KC-135 Stratotanker can rise high enough to safely cook meat. Sweat pours down Airman 1st Class Joseph Swartz's face as he triple checks the work his team just completed on the equally hot metal outside.

  • Aircrew flight equipment flight: 'The last ones to let them down'

    The 31st Operations Support Squadron's aircrew flight equipment flight here is responsible for all of a pilot's flight equipment such as helmet, oxygen mask, harness and all life-saving equipment. Their motto: "When everything else fails, we are the last ones to let them down."

  • Equipment accountability vital to partnership

    The F-16 Fighting Falcon maintainers evaluate, test, check, sustain and replace the different parts to enable fighter pilots to do their job safely and securely. And at a bilateral training exercise between the Hellenic and U.S. air forces at Souda Bay, Greece, Aug. 11-23, there is a centralized hub

  • Mountain Home Airmen provide Osan AB with a theater support package

    Twelve F-15 Strike Eagles from the 391st Fighter Squadron and Airmen from the 391st Aircraft Maintenance Unit out of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, arrived here in July as part of a theater support package to help bolster the U.S. presence on the Korean peninsula.

  • Two cent difference saves AF, Travis AFB millions

    Travis Air Force Base has jumped on board an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiative set in place in 2008 that will eventually save the Air Force and Department of Defense millions of dollars each year.

  • AWACS upgrade achieves initial operational capability

    The commander of Air Combat Command, Gen. Mike Hostage, declared initial operational capability for the 552nd Air Control Wing's E-3G Sentry, an Airborne Warning and Control System Block 40/45 aircraft, July 28, here.

  • New rotation takes reigns at Powidz AB, Poland

    With a shrill squeal, rubber met road as two C-130J Super Hercules' touched down Aug. 14, at Powidz Air Base, Poland -- their crews ready to begin a flying training deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, or OAR.

  • Greece, US plan for successful air training

    They had been in the room for nearly six hours. The planners scoured the map of Greece, searching for just the right area to place an enemy missile defense system, or an enemy airfield, or one of hundreds of other highly defended military targets