HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Edwards test team fires F-16's first AIM-9X Sidewinder

    A test team from the Global Power Fighters Combined Test Force fired the newest variant of the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the X variant, for the first time from an F-16 Fighting Falcon here April 9.The Sidewinder is a supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft. Before this, the

  • Officials: Radium poses no risk at Air Force facilities

    Official test results from six Air Force facilities indicate building occupants and visitors are not at risk from radioactive material left over from luminous paints used at the bases 60 years ago.Air Force Institute for Operational Health experts from Brooks City-Base, Texas, examined facilities at

  • Pope families welcome loved ones home

    Balloons, hand-painted "welcome home" signs, ear-to-ear smiles and a few tears greeted Airmen and a small group of Soldiers who returned here April 14 following deployments in Southwest Asia."It's great to have them back," said Lt. Gen. William Welser III, commander of 18th Air Force at Scott Air

  • Enlisted aviators put 'chevrons' in the sky

    Between 1912 and 1942, nearly 3,000 enlisted men of the Signal Corps, Air Service and the Army Air Forces became enlisted pilots. In fact, enlisted men piloted many of the aircraft flown in the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942.Although the Flight Officer Act in 1942 ended the enlisted pilot

  • Reservist earns Pitsenbarger award

    A reservist from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has been named the 2004 Pitsenbarger award winner.Senior Master Sgt. Dale Berryhill, an airborne communications systems operator, was selected for his heroism while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.Sergeant Berryhill was a crewmember aboard an MC-130E

  • Rescue team integral to contingency operations

    Imagine riding along outside the safety of a base and suddenly a rocket-propelled grenade blows a hole in the ground next to a Humvee in your convoy. The blast causes the vehicle to crash and flip upside down. One of your drivers is stuck under the wreckage; you have no equipment to help get him

  • Reserve rescue crews win Jolly Green mission award

    A daring, nighttime combat rescue last year in Iraq earned three aircrews from the 920th Rescue Wing here an award for heroism.The Jolly Green Association will present its 2003 Rescue Mission of the Year Award to HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crews Jolly 23 and Jolly 24, and HC-130 tanker crew King 50

  • Enlisted Heritage Hall honors fallen Airman

    A fallen hero was honored recently when the Enlisted Heritage Hall on Gunter Annex dedicated the Tech. Sgt. John Chapman exhibit.Members of Sergeant Chapman's family and colleagues from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron were among more than 200 people attending the dedication ceremony. A combat

  • Now showing: April 12 edition of AFTV News

    This edition of Air Force Television News focuses on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Tech. Sgt. Rusty Barfield went to the Pacific island to report on Andersen’s growing importance for the Air Force mission.Sergeant Barfield examines the role of Andersen since the Korean War, the deployment of B-52

  • Guard, Reserve leaders address Senate subcommittee

    Reserve component leaders from the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps met before a Senate subcommittee reviewing the fiscal 2005 military budget here April 7.The leaders discussed transformation goals and spending requirements. They also touched on issues such as deployments, stress on the force and

  • Air Force Museum receives WWII stone roller from China

    A stone roller Chinese workers used during World War II to construct airfield runways as long as 8,500 feet in Kunming, China, will make a permanent stop at the Air Force Museum here this summer.Hundreds of Chinese workers pulled the roller, made of solid stone and weighing nearly 11,000 pounds, to

  • Airmen train in Italy

    Twenty-six Airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, participated in Exercise Leaning Tower here from March 29 to April 3. They trained on formation low-level flights, evasive maneuvers and airdrops using night-vision goggles. “This whole exercise was made possible

  • Survival equipment: Taking fear out of flying

    Almost everyone has seen movie heroes parachuting out of planes and helicopters into dangers unknown. However, not many people think about how they are able to do that, or who ensures their parachutes are packed safely and carefully. Ten Airmen, assigned to the 100th Maintenance Squadron’s survival

  • Airman burned as child, volunteers at burn camp

    More than 15 years ago he spent 10 weeks in the hospital, as burns that covered more than one-third of his body healed. Today, the Airman volunteers as a burn camp counselor and shares stories about his ordeal with children who are recovering as he did.Airman 1st Class Brandon Lee, an aircraft

  • F/A-22 important to all Airmen

    To Air Force people who do not fly or maintain aircraft, the oft-repeated characteristics of the F/A-22 Raptor, “stealth, supercruise, agility, integrated avionics, and supportability” probably mean about as much as “independent front suspension” and “aluminum alloy heads” mean to someone who is not

  • JTAC Airman vital in war on terrorism

    “Dad, you’re still at work?” are the words of Staff Sgt. Jason Cry’s 5-year-old son. When Sergeant Cry talks with his son on the phone, he helps the boy understand why Dad was not there for Christmas, or why he cannot be there at night to read him a bedtime story, kiss him on the head and tuck him

  • USAFE members hone search, rescue skills

    A CH-47 Chinook helicopter is shot down and four survivors are stranded in a hostile location awaiting rescue. The scenario was part of a joint combat search and rescue exercise held here March 20 to April 2.Led by the 56th Rescue Squadron at Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, the exercise

  • Flightline upgrades boost mission

    New upgrades to the flightline are boosting operational capabilities, helping Airmen accomplish the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing’s expanding role to provide intra-theatre airlift for deployed forces.The latest upgrades completed March 31 include a new 320,000-square-foot C-130 Hercules parking ramp.

  • Moody pilots killed in crash

    Two pilots died when an Air Force T-6 Texan II crashed April 3 at the airport in Savannah, Ga. The aircraft was assigned to the 479th Flying Training Group here.The reservists were identified as Capt. Judson Brinson of Thomasville, Ga., and Capt. Lee Moore of Valdosta, Ga. At the time of the

  • Academy aircraft operations suspended

    Following a review by an Air Force air logistics center team, Brig. Gen. John Weida, academy commandant, ordered flying operations of 45 aircraft assigned here be suspended because of safety concerns.Affected aircraft include: TG-10B\C\D unpowered gliders and TG-14 motorgliders of the 94th Flying

  • Iraqi children benefit from donations

    American forces at Balad Air Base, Iraq, are separated from the Iraqi people by a shallow ocean of sand and concertina wire. The edges of the razor wire mirror the sharp lifestyle contrasts between the poverty-stricken locals and the Americans.Airmen at Balad are joining hands with people here to

  • Idaho Guard helps train B-52 crews

    There’s a “war” going on. Every day deployed Airmen from the 266th Range Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, are shooting, eluding and attempting to destroy B-52 Stratofortresses flying here.However, no one gets hurt and no aircraft actually go down because the battle is done using

  • Compass Call crew details mission, OIF success stories

    At the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, dozens of Iraqi soldiers waited patiently near the al Faw Peninsula for instructions being transmitted from higher headquarters to blow up key oil fields there.The message never came.In its place, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force’s EC-130H “Compass Call”

  • Official urges balanced treatment for reserve components

    With Reserve and National Guard forces now critical elements in the war on terrorism, the Defense Department's senior reserve affairs adviser told a Senate subcommittee here March 31 that the country must do more to care for them and their families. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for

  • Airman teaches English to Afghan pilots

    Sometimes a language barrier can be more than an inconvenience. It can be dangerous. Consider, for example, the dialogue between an Afghan aircraft pilot and a German air-traffic controller at the local airfield during an in-flight emergency.Maj. Susan Washington said she is well aware of the

  • Flying ‘bug’ bites WASP early, pilot recounts service

    It was not Charles Lindbergh, but “a fella before him” whose name escapes her now. She remembers he came through Charleston, W.Va., when she was very young, and she said he inspired her to learn to fly.“I was about 7 or 8 years old when this famous flier came to town. Everyone turned out to see

  • Vital ‘phase’ of maintenance

    “Phase maintenance” are two words that may not mean a lot to someone who does not work on the aircraft maintenance or operations side of the Air Force.But spend a few minutes talking with the supervisor of the A-10 Thunderbolt II phase maintenance team that is deployed here from Davis-Monthan Air

  • Stopping corrosion before it stops mission

    Like cancer, it grows and spreads, risking men, machines and missions.In the docks where E-3 Sentries are sidelined for programmed depot maintenance, workers are as skilled at eliminating corrosion and its risks as surgeons are at cutting out a cancer.The work consists largely of inspections, checks

  • 86th CRG pulls Soldiers out of Africa

    Twenty-seven Airmen and one Soldier traveled down to Africa on March 23 to remove special forces Soldiers from the countries of Mali and Mauritania.The Airmen were from the 86th Contingency Response Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and the Soldier was from the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces

  • Airmen make sure A-10s keep flying

    When many people were passing out candy to trick-or-treaters last October, 26 crew chiefs left their home at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and arrived here, ready to do their part in the war on terrorism.Through the holidays, this group of Airmen has not missed a beat in keeping the A-10

  • A-10 pilot wows Smithsonian crowd

    The Iraqi republican guard may have had luck on their side that miserable Baghdad day, but they did not know who was flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II they had just hit with a rocket.It was April 7, 2003, and an elite unit of Iraqis had U.S. forces pinned down along the Tigris River, firing

  • Group reflects on OIF mission one year later

    March 27 holds special meaning for people of the 86th Contingency Response Group; it marks an accomplishment they made during Operation Iraqi Freedom.Last year on that day, 20 Airmen from the 86th CRG parachuted into northern Iraq along with more than 1,000 Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade

  • Airmen from European bases support special ops in Africa

    Airmen from bases throughout Europe are supporting special operations forces along the fringes of the Sahara Desert in the continuing war on terrorism.Currently, Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Stuttgart, Germany, are training African soldiers in Mali

  • April issue of Citizen Airman available online

    For the past 33-plus years, Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III has been contributing to the Air Force mission as a reservist, with the last five-plus years as the commander of Air Force Reserve Command and chief of Air Force Reserve. During that time, he has fought for better benefits and entitlements

  • C-17 crew wins Mackay Trophy

    One year after they led the biggest combat airdrop since Operation Just Cause in Panama in December 1989, five Airmen from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., are the winners of the National Aeronautic Association's Clarence Mackay Trophy for 2003.Lt. Col. Shane Hershman, from the 7th Airlift Squadron;

  • Dynamic mission planning allows rapid response

    Technology is helping put today's warfighters at the right fight at the right time with the flexibility to change target identification or redirect aircraft in flight.Rapidly maturing satellite technology supports dynamic planning for fast-changing battlefield environments, and Electronic Systems

  • Guam provides excellent training for Minot B-52 ground crews

    Not only is the weather better here than at home, but their deployment is providing them with a great training environment, said Airmen from of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D.About 300 people from various specialties arrived here in February to support Minot’s six B-52 Stratofortress

  • X-45A successfully releases inert weapon

    The Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System X-45A successfully carried out an inert-weapons release here March 20, marking the first weapons release from the internal bay of the high-speed, stealthy unmanned aircraft."All testing leading up to (the) weapon jettison went extremely well," said Maj. Mike

  • Joint Strike Fighter under attack on Capitol Hill

    A senior Air Force official told lawmakers March 25 that the service would not be interested in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter if a technical glitch could not be overcome or if program funds were cut off.Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys, deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, bluntly told members

  • Close-air support variant of Joint Strike Fighter too heavy

    Early reports show that the Air Force’s next generation close-air support aircraft has a weight problem.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche told members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on defense the issue was predictable.“The (F-35 Joint Strike Fighter) has only

  • Base recalls teamwork following ramp horror

    A visit to Building 900 brings back a visual that retired Senior Master Sgt. Eric Truesdale said he has spent the last decade trying to forget.It was there March 23, 1994, that 24 Fort Bragg, N.C., Soldiers were killed, more than 100 were injured and countless other troops’ lives were changed in

  • Women play important role in military

    Throughout history, women have broken barriers to serve in the military, some legitimately and some not. Many women worked as nurses on battlefields, while others disguised themselves as men so they could join. Even though the contributions women made were recognized, Americans would not allow

  • Standardization program announces awards

    Officials from the Defense Standardization Program Office recognized Air Force people and teams with awards for outstanding contributions to the Department of Defense in fiscal 2003. The awards were presented March 16 during a ceremony in Lansdowne, Va.The following received awards:Individuals--

  • Surgeon general testifies on servicemembers’ health

    Pre- and post-deployment health care coupled with the in-theater deployment surveillance health program have resulted in the healthiest servicemembers in history, the Air Force surgeon general told a congressional panel March 18.Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr. told the House Armed Services

  • New parts can cost less than old ones

    C-5 Galaxy mechanics here recently found that making new aircraft floorboards rather than repairing used ones saves nearly $5.5 million per year and reduces work-flow days from 42 to nine.When a C-5 floorboard team started rethinking their work process, 923 floorboards were on backorder, and C-5s

  • A-10 pilot takes aim on terrorism

    Talk to almost anyone in the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group, and a recurring theme is the desire to provide the best support possible for friendly forces on the ground.The way to do that is by making sure A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft here are always ready to fly at a moment’s notice, so that

  • Armament summit examines joint weapons communication

    A global grid where information can be passed from weapons to aircraft to command and control facilities highlighted discussions at the sixth annual air armament summit here March 16 to 17.The theme of the summit that brought leaders from government, industry and academia together was, "Joining the

  • First C-130J arrives for active duty

    The first C-130J Hercules assigned to an active-duty unit arrived here March 19.“We are proud to call Little Rock Air Force Base and central Arkansas home -- home of the United States Air Force’s first active-duty C-130J,” said Col. Joseph Reheiser, 314th Airlift Wing commander. “We look forward to

  • Luke expands forward air-control program

    Unconventional warfare can be defined as the absence of a clearly defined enemy and lacking classic lines of battle.Combining this definition with the rugged terrain of Afghanistan and Iraq, it is easy to see why commanders throughout the combat air forces are clamoring for forward air control

  • Leaders discuss future of unmanned aircraft

    With 10 different unmanned aerial vehicle systems flying over Iraq and Afghanistan, military leaders met with members of Congress to discuss the rapidly changing role of UAVs in military operations.Lt. Gen. Walter Buchanan III testified before the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on

  • Keeping OEF mission airborne

    Back home, when a thirsty Air Force aircraft needs to be gassed up, fuels management flights have a 30-minutes-or-less response time to provide the fuel. At Bagram Air Base, the fuels flight has put its own stamp on the POL -- for petroleum, oils and lubricants -- tradition of timely fuels service.

  • MH-60S helicopter load validated on C-17

    Officials here performed a load validation on a C-17 Globemaster III for the MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter recently with the help of Navy specialists.This is the seventh helicopter model validated on a C-17. Airmen from Altus' 58th Airlift Squadron along with 21 people from the Navy loaded the Navy

  • Five killed in Nevada crash

    Five people were killed when the Air Force aircraft they were traveling in crashed in the Nevada desert about 125 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base on March 16.The Air Force civilian pilot of the Beechcraft KA 1900 and four civilian contractors died in the crash. The aircraft was on a

  • Officials release Predator accident report

    Operator error caused an RQ-1L Predator remotely piloted aircraft to crash Dec. 11 in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, according to Air Force officials.Based on an Accident Investigation Board report released March 17 by Air Combat Command, the pilot over-controlled the aircraft's

  • U.S. Airmen deliver aid to Chad

    Answering an urgent request for assistance, units from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, responded with two C-130 Hercules aircraft in support of a European Command mission to deliver more than 19 tons of aid March 13 to Chad. The call for aid came after the Chadian army engaged in a heavy battle with a

  • Joint-range extension linking global network

    An Electronic Systems Center-developed product, now deployed in operational theaters worldwide, is linking information cells together into a global network to give warfighters broader communication ability.Joint-Range Extension is a hardware and software system that receives information transmitted

  • AMC central to historic troop rotation

    Department of Defense officials have challenged those from Air Mobility Command to play a central role in the Southwest Asia troop rotation by moving 250,000 people in 60 days. That roughly equates to the number of passengers who can sit in 720 wide-body commercial aircraft or the entire population

  • Airmen search for fallen heroes in Southeast Asia

    When Master Sgt. Delbert Anderson received his deployment assignment to Southeast Asia, he said he did not anticipate his definition of patriotism would change forever.Sergeant Anderson, superintendent of trainer aircraft operations for life support in the Air Education and Training Command’s

  • Documentary 'discovers' Edwards aircraft, people

    A three-person crew with the Discovery Channel filmed parts of a documentary here recently on military wonders from around the world.The various aircraft featured were the F/A-22 Raptor, C/V-22, Airborne Laser, Global Hawk and the F-117A Nighthawk.The show, titled "Seven Wonders of the Military

  • Scientists find better solvent for cleaning oxygen lines

    Air Force Research Laboratory scientists and engineers recently teamed with Aeronautical Systems Center experts here to identify a suitable replacement for Freon, a solvent that was banned for ozone depleting tendencies.Experts from AFRL's materials and manufacturing directorate nonmetallic

  • Airlifters haul forces to Haiti

    On Feb. 29, President George W. Bush ordered U.S. Marines into the Republic of Haiti as the leading element of a multinational peacekeeping force sanctioned by the United Nations.Air Mobility Command aircraft were tapped to bring up to 2,000 Marines into Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, with 18th

  • Airmen return from deep freeze

    The last C-141 Starlifter from the 445th Airlift Wing returned March 4 from Christchurch, New Zealand, after completing its role in Operation Deep Freeze.Operation Deep Freeze flights support the National Science Foundation, which operates scientific stations in Antarctica to explore the origins of

  • Small unit takes on big test

    The responsibility for testing the airworthiness of modified KC-135 Stratotankers rests with a small unit here.The 23-person 313th Flight Test Flight, an Air Force Reserve Command unit, is certifying the Stratotankers, following programmed depot maintenance and a new avionics upgrade.“We accomplish

  • Moseley: Airmen doing tremendous work

    During operations in Iraq, the Air Force experienced some of the highest mission-capable rates in recent history, said the service’s vice chief of staff.Gen. T. Michael Moseley spoke before a Senate Armed Service Committee subcommittee on readiness and management support March 9, directly crediting

  • Pilots land safely after midair collision

    Two F-16 Fighting Falcons landed here safely after a midair collision over the Atlantic Ocean on March 9. Neither pilot was injured.At the time of the accident, the 79th Fighter Squadron aircraft were on a scheduled air-to-air training mission. A damage assessment is ongoing, and other aircraft

  • Airmen deliver radio communications to servicemembers

    What do you get when you take the rim of an old tire, bolt wood into the lug nut openings, and secure an 11-foot fence pole to it? After attaching an 8-foot rod to the top of the pole, the answer is a ground-radio antenna that makes the communication needs of security detail Soldiers here.And what

  • Kirstie Alley ‘cheers’ for McConnell

    Golden Globe-winning actress Kirstie Alley crossed into the blue March 8 during her “wild ride” here.She returned to her hometown of Wichita to raise money for the 1922 Orpheum Theatre with her show “Kirstie Alley’s Wild Ride” and wanted to visit one of the first places she worked -- McConnell.

  • AMC commander explains Patriot Express cutbacks

    Air Mobility Command officials announced in February that the Patriot Express, a transit system for official travelers mainly in the Pacific and Europe, would be dramatically scaled down during the next few years.During a visit here, Gen. John W. Handy, AMC commander, explained why the program will

  • F/A-22 required for deep strike against enemy threats

    Maintaining deep-strike capability is critical to future warfighting operations. In a March 3 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on projection forces, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley said the Air Force must continue to maintain its deep-strike

  • From cosmetics to test jets

    In the tumultuous times of 1930s America, Pensacola, Fla., native Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran was a successful entrepreneur in the world of women’s cosmetics. But not many who saw her marketing powders and colored creams in those days would imagine that she would soon set records in the upstart

  • Secretary briefs lawmakers in ‘posture’ hearing

    The F/A-22 Raptor, sexual harassment, force blending and the tanker lease program were all topics of discussion as the service’s senior executive testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 2.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche, along with the other service secretaries,

  • Americans, Turks find common ground through conversation

    Divided by cultural beliefs and thousands of miles, the gap between U.S. and Turkish people may appear, at first, somewhat insurmountable.Tech. Sgt. Norvel Brown, however, recently found a surprisingly simple connection -- conversation.As a volunteer at the English Language Training Center here,

  • March issue of Airman available

    Read about recent changes at the Air Force Academy and take a look at airmen serving in Southwest Asia -- from the airmen fresh out of training to the medical staff who save lives in Baghdad. These features and more highlight the March issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online at

  • Predators move to Balad

    The unit came packed and ready to position themselves autonomously, so they could pursue their prey quietly, unseen for hours.Arriving ready to set up one of the most impressive unmanned aerial aircraft in the U.S. inventory, the Nevada unit was ready for business within days of their arrival here.

  • Officials release A-10 accident report

    Mechanical failure caused the pilot of an A-10 Thunderbolt II to crash in a military training range near Las Vegas on Nov. 18, according to a report Air Force officials released March 2.The pilot ejected safely in the Nevada Test and Training Range about 45 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base,

  • Five generations keep proud tradition alive

    His life was spent fighting for freedom; his own freedom and the freedom of a country not yet born.Not only did he give his life in prelude to revolution from a tyrannical king, he left a legacy that continues to serve this country's continuous fight to preserve freedom at home and abroad. And one

  • Force-protection airmen keep alert

    With service and delivery contracts totaling more than $1.2 million and about 160 local nationals or third-country nationals on base at any one time, someone has to keep an eye on the workers.That duty falls to a team of about 50 airmen assigned to the force-protection section of the 407th Civil

  • Aircrew thinks fast during combat-zone emergency

    C-17 Globemaster III aircrews on departure from Iraqi airfields are accustomed to being on the lookout for threats to the aircraft. One crew from the 16th Airlift Squadron here had to wrestle with a threat from within the aircraft on a recent flight out of northern Iraq.The Globemaster III was

  • Reserve maintainer cashes in on award-winning idea

    A reservist here is $10,000 richer thanks to a suggestion that will save the Air Force millions of dollars each year.Master Sgt. Andrew Calvello, an aircraft engine mechanic supervisor with the 512th Component Maintenance Squadron, submitted the idea through the Innovative Development through

  • Airmen rescue civilian pilot in Alaska

    A pilot is out of the woods, literally, after being rescued by the Alaska Air National Guard’s 210th Rescue Squadron on March 1.Ted Greene, an Anchorage resident in his mid-70s, called in a mayday report after his plane crashed and was hung up in some trees in the Skwenta area, about 60 miles

  • Air Force brings aid, experts to Morocco

    In the early hours of Feb. 24, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Al Hoceima Province in northern Morocco. Within the next few hours, two smaller aftershocks measuring 4.3 and 4.1 shook the remote region. Initial reports indicated more than 570 people were killed and 405 injured. On Feb. 28,

  • Now showing: March 1 edition of AFTV News

    A landmark University of Rochester study of suicide in the Air Force headlines the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. John Anderson talks to the study author, Dr. Kerry Knox, who said the Air Force program could be a model for private-sector businesses. The study found the

  • Portal provides information, access, instant messaging

    Air Force senior leaders have asked that all airmen sign up for a new Web-based technology that promises to streamline access to information across the force -- the Air Force Portal.In a December information technology initiatives memo, Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Chief of

  • Battle-damaged C-5 repaired, ready for duty

    Workers in the C-5 Galaxy production branch here feel closer to the warfighter now that they have completed battle-damage repair on the C-5 hit by a missile shortly after takeoff in Iraq on Jan. 8.The aircraft left the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center on Feb. 23 -- two days ahead of schedule.The

  • Aircrew error cited in investigation

    An investigation here found aircrew error led to the unintentional release of an inert training munition Jan. 8 in Yorkshire.Officials from the 48th Fighter Wing said the aircrew involved in this mishap was on non-flying status while investigation took place. Subsequent to the determination of

  • Desert Storm veterans return after 13 years

    When Saddam Hussein ordered his forces to march south through Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990, little did he know of the resolve of the young airmen who would rise to the occasion to repulse the attack.From November 1990 to May 1991, Senior Airmen Darrell Wiedenbeck, Elbert Bembry and Edward Timberman, and

  • Airpower highlighted in joint exercise

    Airpower was put on display as a part of a show of force demonstration here during a joint capabilities exercise Feb. 24.Operation All-American Lightning, a joint Army-Air Force operation, was designed to demonstrate joint U.S. capabilities for rapid deployment and employment of forces worldwide to

  • Leaders talk to Congress about long-range strike

    A variant of the F/A-22 Raptor is one consideration for the Air Force’s next long-range strike aircraft, the Air Force’s senior leaders said.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper met with members of the House Committee on Armed Services on

  • NASA names MacDill landing site for space shuttle

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials have named this base an alternate landing site for space shuttle missions.Alternate sites are typically selected based on weather conditions or the power level of the shuttle during re-entry.Software updates to the shuttles’ landing programs

  • Pilot dies after A-10 crash

    An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot died Feb. 25 after his aircraft crashed at about 8:30 p.m. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff near the Chena Flood Plain area, southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. Capt. Jonathan Scheer is officially assigned to the 354th Operations Support Squadron and he is an

  • Drop-zone experts ensure success during Balikatan 2004

    “Winds are calm. Clear to drop.” With these words Capt. Laura Curvey, an air mobility liaison officer from the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, officially signaled the start of bilateral airdrop operations during exercise Balikatan 2004 here. The term Balikatan is a Tagalog word

  • All-weather friends vital to CAOC mission

    It really does all depend on the weather when it comes to planning air operations.This holds true at the Combined Air Operations Center here, the central hub for air and space operations dealing with operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and in the Horn of Africa region.The CAOC weather cell

  • Airmen experience sights, sounds, tastes of India

    For the 130 airmen working here in February during Cope India ‘04, the job of flying and fixing aircraft has taken on a whole new meaning.Cope India ’04 is a bilateral exercise between the air forces from the Unites States and India involving fighter aircraft -- the first of its kind in more than 40

  • Raptor program still flies

    Air Force officials said they will continue with the F/A-22 Raptor program. Fervor over the Army's cancellation of the $6.9 billion Comanche helicopter program Feb. 23 raised questions about the future of the Air Force's F/A-22, said the director of Air Force combat force capability requirements.

  • Airmen fill joint airlift needs

    When Army and Marine units receive orders to deploy, a small group of airmen is often called upon to turn sister services' air mobility needs into reality. These airmen, known as air mobility liaison officers, are experienced rated officers permanently based with Army and Marine units worldwide.

  • Asian Aerospace 2004 highlights capability, technology

    The flying was fast, loud and very impressive as Asian Aerospace 2004 kicked off Feb. 24. The international air show, held at the Changi Exhibition Center here every two years, provides an opportunity for nearly 800 exhibitors from 33 countries and more than 23,000 trade visitors to promote the

  • Cope India brings out fighter ops

    Residents who live in the nearby city of Gwalior are accustomed to the sounds of fighter-jet operations -- the noise of takeoff, landings and sonic booms. But the roar of U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle aircraft in the sky above this north central Indian air force station is something completely new.The

  • Strike Eagles make debut in Cope Tiger exercise

    Aircrews battling it out over Thailand during Cope Tiger ’04 are facing an unfamiliar foe. F-15E Strike Eagles are participating for the first time in the exercise’s 10-year history.“We can relate to all of the exercise players by virtue of flying a dual-role fighter with both air-to-air and

  • Navs get you from here to there

    With today’s technology, navigators have become an endangered breed. One of a decreasing list of aircraft to use navigators is the C-130 Hercules, an aircraft that is playing an important role in moving people and supplies during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The role played by the navigator has

  • OSI comes face-to-face with evil

    For a group of specially trained airmen serving in Afghanistan, coming face-to-face with evil is just "another day at the office" as they conduct counterintelligence and anti-terrorism operations. Tasked with providing military leaders current, accurate information about enemy threats, the Air Force