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  • Coalition forces strike missile launchers

    Coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons to target nine Iraqi surface-to-surface missiles and launchers in Baghdad on March 26.The missiles and launchers were placed within a civilian residential area. Most of the missiles were positioned less than 300 feet from homes. A full assessment of

  • Lancer crews describe B-1 missions over Iraq

    B-1B Lancers, combining the latest in technology with old-fashioned elbow grease, are taking the air war of Operation Iraqi Freedom to regime and military targets in every inch of that country.Four members of the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing described their mission to Pentagon reporters in a March

  • Navy, Air Force sink Iraqi patrol boat

    U.S. Navy and Air Force assets teamed together to target and sink a fast-attack Iraqi patrol boat in the Arabian Gulf on March 21 using precision-guided ordnance.A Navy P-3C Orion long-range patrol aircraft located and tracked the patrol boat and then relayed the information to an Air Force AC-130

  • Coalition aircraft flew more than 1,500 sorties over Iraq

    Coalition aircraft flew more than 1,500 sorties in the continuing air war against the regime in Iraq on March 24, coalition officials in the region said today.More than 800 were strike sorties, with 200 of those being flown against "preplanned" targets. The rest were flown against "emerging targets"

  • Bush calls wartime supplemental budget request 'urgent'

    The president said today his $74.7 billion wartime supplemental budget request is urgent and "directly related to winning this war and to securing the peace that will follow this war."President Bush visited the Pentagon and told a roomful of senior defense officials that the money, once appropriated

  • Iraq flouting laws of war, Geneva Conventions

    The Iraqi regime is flouting the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions, said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke at the news conference today.Clarke said that the deceptions have been so blatant "that some liken it to terrorism.""They are sending forces out carrying white surrender flags or

  • Passing the gas

    Master Sgt. Stephen Weigert, a KC-10 Extender boom operator with the 409th Air Expeditionary Group, delivers fuel to an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft March 22 during a mission supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. KC-10s are deployed from the 305th/514th Air Mobility Wing at

  • Crash victims identified

    Air Force officials have identified the airmen killed in the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan on March 23.The airmen were deployed from here supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Killed in the crash were:-- 1st Lt. Tamara Archuleta, co-pilot.-- Staff Sgt. Jason Hicks, flight

  • Officials release T-37 accident report

    Air Force officials have determined pilot error caused the Dec. 20 mid-air collision of two T-37 Tweet trainer aircraft out of Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.In its description of the incident, the accident investigation board said the pilot of one of the T-37s did not ensure adequate separation

  • Officials discuss progress of air war

    As the number of sorties flown by coalition air forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom reaches into the thousands, officials from U.S. Central Command said March 24 they were pleased with the results of those efforts.Army Gen. Tommy Franks, CENTCOM commander, told reporters during a press briefing at the

  • Air Force announces maintenance award winners

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards, along with the 2002 Maintenance Effectiveness Awards.The winners of the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards are:For aircraft maintenance:-- Field Grade Manager: Maj. David M. Coley, Travis

  • Voluntary departures from Incirlik end

    Nearly 1,300 family members and nonmission-essential civilian employees packed up, processed and departed Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, March 20 to 22 as U.S. and coalition forces began Operation Iraqi Freedom.Five contracted commercial aircraft flew people from Incirlik to Charleston, S.C., where they

  • B-52 pilot still flying high after 33 years

    During the evacuation of Quang Tri in 1972, 1st Lt. Bill Jankowski, an O2-A pilot, flew out of DaNang Air Base, Vietnam, to find enemy targets and bring air support assistance to South Vietnamese who were resisting North Vietnamese. Quang Tri had Americans within the area, and Jankowski's role was

  • Pilots face increasing ground threats

    Coalition pilots have not yet had to face the intense air defenses over Iraq they had to deal with during the Gulf War.Still, the Iraqis fire on coalition aircraft on every mission, an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot with five combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom said. And as coalition forces

  • Ammo airmen build munitions for war

    After two weeks of waiting, munitions airmen at a forward-deployed location began working day and night building M-117 and 85 GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions for the "shock and awe" phase of the war in Iraq.Arriving at this location March 6, members of the 5th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron

  • Predator helps in ground war success

    Flying over coalition troops racing toward Baghdad, RQ-1 Predators are providing ground commanders up-to-the-second information on what lies ahead.That is helping make the ground war a success by minimizing coalition troop losses, said Predator pilot Capt. Traz Trzaskoma by telephone."We immediately

  • Eye spy

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot assigned to the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location checks his night vision goggles before a mission. Aircraft from the wing flew missions on "A-Day" of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis)

  • First Predator strike takes out anti-air threat

    A U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator found and destroyed a radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery gun in southern Iraq March 22 making it the first Predator strike of Operation Iraqi Freedom, defense officials announced.The multirole Predator used one AGM-114K "Hellfire II" missile to strike an Iraqi

  • Checking it out

    Senior Airman Adam Kruse communicates with a pilot about to take off on a mission March 20. Kruse is a crew chief deployed to the 363rd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Hannen)

  • American Units Meet Opposition, Still Ahead of Schedule

    Coalition forces are encountering greater Iraqi resistance as they move closer to Baghdad, U.S. Central Command officials said today.News reports indicate that American units are engaging Iraqi battalions. Central Command officials said units with the 3rd Infantry Division have captured a bridge

  • Iraq Campaign to Get Tougher as Troops Approach Baghdad

    U.S. and coalition forces have made great gains so far during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but the going will likely get harder in coming days.Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered that message today on the Fox News Sunday television show."Anybody who thinks this

  • Tons of knowledge resides in Air Force Web site

    Just about anything worth knowing about the Air Force, especially on the maintenance and acquisition side, can be found through a collaborative Web system called Knowledge Now.Knowledge Now is almost too big to describe, according to Randy Adkins, Air Force Materiel Command Knowledge Now project

  • B-52s strike Iraqi targets

    Bomber aircraft from this deployed location participated in their first strike operations March 21 and continue to pound targets in the U.S. Central Command theater of operations in a coalition effort to disarm the Iraqi regime.All of the bombers deployed for the mission returned without incident.

  • 'Only a Matter of Time' Before Saddam's Regime Is Destroyed

    DoD officials today offered no timeframe when U.S. and coalition military operations in Iraq would conclude, but they emphasized that time was running out for Saddam Hussein and his regime."There are a lot of unknowns" involved in trying to predict when Operation Iraqi Freedom would end, Pentagon

  • Maintainers unleash wave of B-52s

    More than 70 aircraft maintainers worked earnestly through the early morning March 21 to unleash the first wave of B-52 bombers on the Iraqi regime from this forward-deployed location.Later in the day they watched with the rest of the world as their "Buffs" delivered what would come to be regarded

  • 'Shock air forces' hit Iraq

    Coalition "shock air forces" aircraft flew nearly 1,000 strike sorties March 21, hitting targets intended to end the regime of Saddam Hussein. The strikes marked the beginning of the air campaign portion of Operation Iraqi Freedom.During his first press conference since combat operations began, Gen.

  • Stealth fighters use new munitions to hit Baghdad

    U.S. Air Force F-117 stealth fighters struck five strategic targets in Baghdad on March 21 using a new precision-guided munition, the EGBU-27, as coalition forces shifted the Operation Iraqi Freedom air campaign into high gear.Using the low-observable, stealth technology of the F-117 to penetrate

  • Medical staff provides care during exercise

    Staff Sgt. Sonia Rincon's hands are splattered with blood and pieces of torn flesh. Her patient has a sucking chest wound and a fractured leg.Despite these gruesome injuries, Rincon takes her time tending to the wounds.She is not actually dressing the wounds, but creating them. Rincon is one of

  • Tanker crews launch combat support missions

    While most people were waking up and drinking their first cups of coffee, the first of several KC-135 Stratotanker aircrews from the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing launched combat support missions from their deployed location March 19."It was definitely a team effort all the way around today," said

  • 700-plus coalition aircraft pound Iraq

    About 700 coalition aircraft flew missions against more than 100 targets in Iraq on March 20, said defense officials.The strikes flew even as planners in the area attempted to determine the results of the strikes against the Iraqi leadership the day before. Targets included command and control

  • Leaders tell Congress relationships key in war on terrorism

    Leaders from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command spoke to members of Congress on March 19 on the personnel issues their organizations face in fighting the global war on terrorism.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, the director of the Air National Guard, told the Senate Armed Services

  • Buffing it up

    Staff Sgts. John Beldin (left) and Landon Favors, B-52 Stratofortress weapons loaders, prepare an air-launched cruise missile for loading on a B-52 March 20. Aircraft and people from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., are deployed here as part of the 7th Air Expeditionary Wing.

  • Myers Charts Coalition Military Actions to Date

    American ground forces are 100 miles inside Iraq and driving on Baghdad, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers said today during a Pentagon news conference.The U.S. air campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime began with a tremendous bombing campaign against military

  • DoD Leaders Urge Iraqis to Surrender

    Over the past month, coalition aircraft have dropped more than 15 million leaflets over Iraq urging soldiers not to fight and telling civilians how to protect themselves.As Operation Iraqi Freedom began, there had been some results.Coalition troops are driving toward Baghdad and while some Iraqi

  • Power of the press

    Senior Airman Kirbie Delmo adjusts a radial drill press to align holes on manufacturing plates for an F-16 Fighting Falcon flap. Delmo is an aircraft metal technologies specialist with the 388th Equipment Maintenance Squadron. Workers in the aircraft metal technologies section manufacture, rework

  • Families moved out of Turkey

    Family members of 39th Wing airmen go through a processing line March 19 as part of Incirlik's voluntary family-member relocation. Representatives from various base agencies helped about 320 of them leave the base. The move was driven by increased security concerns in Turkey. The first aircraft

  • Iraq launches missiles into Kuwait

    Iraqi forces fired missiles at U.S. forces based in Kuwait, Defense Department officials said March 20.There are no reports of casualties.U.S. Central Command officials confirmed that Patriot missiles intercepted the rockets. It is unclear if the missiles contained chemical or biological agents,

  • Security forces remain undaunted in England

    Through shifts of 13-plus hours, endless walks across the tarmac, cold wind and demonstrators lurking on the fence line, security forces here are undaunted.RAF Fairford is home to a deployed force topping more than 1,000 military members and a number of B-52 Stratofortress bombers. They are

  • Pilot dies in T-38 crash

    An instructor pilot assigned to the 100th Flying Training Squadron was killed March 19 after his T-38 Talon crash here at approximately 4 p.m.The pilot, Maj. Pete Jahns, was pronounced dead at 4:52 p.m. at Brooke Army Medical Center.The second pilot, Lt. Col. Frank Gebert, survived the crash,

  • Leaders tell Congress about new aircraft, missions

    The Air Force's senior leaders presented their vision of the service's next-generation fighter and a new mission for an old warhorse to members of Congress on March 19.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper briefed members of the House

  • Vice chief airs readiness concerns to Congress

    Today's high operational tempo is affecting the Air Force's ability to conduct necessary training, which may affect readiness, the service's vice chief of staff told lawmakers March 18.Gen. Robert H. Foglesong also told members of the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on readiness he was

  • Falcons in flight

    Between patrols of the no-fly zone in northern Iraq, F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft fly in formation while waiting to refuel. The jets are part of Operation Northern Watch here. The F-16 in the foreground is from the Michigan Air National Guard and is flown by a pilot from the 113th Expeditionary

  • Aircraft respond to Iraqi threats

    Coalition aircraft responded to hostile Iraqi actions March 19 by striking several military targets in southern and western Iraq with precision-guided weapons, according to officials.The aircraft were participating in Operation Southern Watch and monitoring compliance with U.N. Security Council

  • Total force showing its muscle

    The total force muscle is showing its strength throughout U.S. Air Forces in Europe as Air Force reservists and Air National Guardsmen answer the call of duty alongside their active-duty counterparts.Although the number varies daily, the Air National Guard has about 1,800 airmen and more than 60

  • Weather forecasters aid mission planning

    Asking about the weather is not a casual question in the Combined Air Operations Center at a desert airbase. In fact, it is one of the key questions asked during every phase of the air tasking order, or ATO, cycle."Most systems we have are weather sensitive, so weather predictions must be

  • War Begins; Coalition Aircraft Attack Iraqi Targets

    Operations to disarm Iraq have begun, President Bush announced during a speech to America tonight.The president confirmed the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world.News reports from Baghdad showed anti-aircraft artillery streaming into the

  • Good relations key to deployment success

    A contingent of deployed airmen from the 409th Air Expeditionary Group here visited a local primary school March 17 at the request of school officials.The group of visitors was made up of a flight surgeon, aircrew members, two security forces dog handlers and their canine Waldo, and others, all led

  • Women aviators highlight flight progress

    In 1944, when the B-29 hit the flightline, Army Air Corps pilots were hesitant to fly the new bomber. It was bigger and more complicated than its predecessor, the B-17, and had a reputation for engine fires.Then-Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, who was in charge of training the Army Air Forces' pilots,

  • Prepared in Bulgaria

    Senior Airman Karl Ferre marks lumber which will be used to construct a cross for chapel services held here. Ferre is deployed from the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. The 409th Air Expeditionary Group here runs air refueling operations with KC-10 Extender

  • Big 'bird' is watching

    Staff Sgt. Andrew Johnson (left) and Senior Airman Nicholas Guthmiller review a maintenance checklist on a B-1 Lancer at a forwarded-deployed location in Southwest Asia. Both airmen are crew chiefs with the 28th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (Photo by Senior Airman Tia C. Schroeder)

  • Pilots safe after midair collision

    The pilots of two Air Force F-15 Eagles are safe following a midair collision of their aircraft March 17 about 65 miles northeast of here.One aircraft returned safely to the base while the other crashed on the Nevada Test and Training Range complex. The pilot of the second aircraft ejected and was

  • Load 'em up, move 'em out

    Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Blackstone secures a vehicle onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft March 7. Over the last week, approximately 550 airmen and several B-52 Stratofortresses from here deployed to support of the war on terrorism. The base also sent more than 270 short tons of support equipment and

  • Northeast icy blast fails to chill air bridge pace

    Subzero temperatures and a dusting of 4.2 inches of snow March 7 failed to slow the Patriot Wing's support of U.S. military deployments to Southwest Asia.Between March 7 and March 11, Westover's 42nd Aerial Port Squadron handled 69 aircraft, processing 641 passengers and more than 1.1 million pounds

  • Man's ingenuity earns $20K

    A senior noncommissioned officer here was recently awarded two $10,000 checks for aircraft maintenance improvements through the Air Force's Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.Master Sgt. Warren Gould of the 33rd Fighter Wing's quality assurance office suggested cutting the

  • WASP make weather history

    Women's roles in the military may not have started at Offutt, but the Air Force Weather Agency was here when women stepped forward to serve their country.The Air Weather Service was one of the first military agencies to use military women as pilots during World War II.In early 1943, the first

  • Bombs away

    Air Force officials tested a Massive Ordnance Air Blast weapon here March 11. The MOAB is a precision-guided munition weighing 21,500 pounds and was dropped from a C-130 Hercules aircraft for the test. It is the largest non-nuclear weapon in existence. (DOD photo)

  • Nighthawk unit maintains the flock

    The F-117 Nighthawk may be a mystery to some, but its maintainers take pride in knowing the airframe's secret inner workings.In the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron's 8th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, a close-knit group of specialists work to keep the aircrews "putting bombs on target, on

  • All hooked up

    Airman 1st Class Robert Walstead hooks up a Hobart power unit to the underside of a B-1B Lancer on March 7. Walstead is a maintainer assigned to the 7th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit here. (Photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Strang)

  • 'Flying Sergeants' helped forge Air Force legacy

    They were not paid much, their opportunities for promotion were limited, and they were treated harshly in training, but that did not stop three generations of enlisted aviators from becoming pilots in the Army Air Corps.Beginning in 1912, enlisted pilots played an important role in writing the

  • Rivet Joint joins fight

    Airman 1st Class Keith Keitel marshals out the first of two RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft when airmen from the 38th and 343rd reconnaissance squadrons deployed overseas recently. The Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft provides near real-time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and

  • Fine fuel for fighters

    Tech. Sgt. Mark Hoover tests fuel for contaminants before it is delivered to aircraft and support equipment at a forward-deployed location. Hoover is assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by Master Sgt. Terry L. Blevins)

  • Peek-a-boo

    Tech. Sgt. Nick Shore takes a breather on an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system between Operation Southern Watch missions. Shore is a crew chief on the aircraft and is deployed from the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ball)

  • Coalition drops leaflets in northern Iraq

    Coalition aircraft enforcing the no-fly zone over northern Iraq dropped informational leaflets near Iraqi anti-aircraft-artillery batteries for only the second time in 12 years.Aircraft supporting Operation Northern Watch dropped 240,000 leaflets on two locations south of Tall Afar and southwest of

  • Pilot survives jet crash

    An Air Force T-38 Talon aircraft crashed into two houses in nearby Valparaiso on March 8. The pilot ejected safely, and no one was injured on the ground.The pilot was on a training mission from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., when the accident occurred.An interim safety board has been established to

  • Sheppard unit will train ALC maintainers

    The 982nd Training Group, the Air Force's advanced maintenance training unit, joined with Air Force Materiel Command to tackle a critical need in the world of aircraft systems maintenance.The 982nd TRG instructors will teach and certify 19 new civilian instructors who will join existing field

  • Airmen, bombers deploy to Pacific

    Airmen supporting B-1B Lancers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and B-52 Stratofortresses from Barksdale AFB, La., deployed here with their bombers as other U.S. forces prepare for possible military action elsewhere in the world."These bombers and airmen are the finest in the Air Force and have

  • Joint STARS takes off for second deployment

    Two E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft and several dozen airmen here answered the call of duty March 5 as they headed to a forward-operating location to support operations in Southwest Asia.The aircraft and airmen are assigned to the 116th Air Control Wing here.According to

  • Black Knights saddle up for deployment

    Airman 1st Class Saraha Hughes, 21, has no idea where she will lay her head in a few days.She does not know if she packed enough, too much or too little, but that does not quell the excitement of her very first deployment.A jet engine mechanic with the 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here, Hughes

  • Reservists support air bridge

    More than half of Air Force Reserve Command's 10,000 mobilized reservists are helping to move troops, equipment and cargo to the Middle East as America prepares for possible war with Iraq.But every aspect of the Reserves is being used to support Operation Enduring Freedom, according to Lt. Col. John

  • Big bird

    A Russian AN-124 is refueled here Feb. 27. The aircraft and crew are under contract to help ship equipment. The aircraft, which has the NATO reporting name Condor, is the world's largest and highest-flying cargo capacity aircraft in production. It is designed for long-range delivery and air

  • Strike Eagle pilots destroy targets

    Capt. Jonathon Breingan, an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot with the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, is proud that his airframe relies on two people sitting in its seats."We take the enemy head-on," he said. "We go out and destroy targets. It's what we do best, and we're the best in the Air Force

  • Base in England gets 'Buff'

    More than a dozen B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft arrived here March 3 and 4 from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to support the war on terrorism and possible contingency operations.The Stratofortress, affectionately called the "Buff" by the bomber community, is a long-range and large capacity

  • North Korea intercepts Air Force aircraft

    Four North Korean fighter jets intercepted a U.S. Air Force plane in international airspace over the Sea of Japan early March 2, Defense Department officials said.Two North Korean MiG-29 fighters and two other North Korean aircraft believed to be MiG-23s engaged an American RC-135S Cobra Ball

  • For the birds

    A B-2 Spirit sits in the background here as U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services employees Todd Stewart and David Borrowman inspect a propane cannon on the airfield. The cannon is a nonlethal way to remove wildlife, especially geese and birds of prey, from the airfield. Wildlife found

  • UAVs may play increasing operational role

    The Air Force's deputy chief of staff for air and space operations is cautiously optimistic about the growing role of unmanned aerial vehicles and remotely piloted vehicles in future conflicts."We're in a position where technology and miniaturization can now begin to give us things we haven't been

  • Robins C-130 team reaching accelerated goals

    Air Force Special Operations Command warfighters are getting back to work quicker thanks to aircraft maintainers shaving 30 days off programmed depot maintenance on four AFSOC aircraft.Workers here recently released one Combat Talon II aircraft to the AFSOC customers 34 days ahead of schedule. It

  • Now showing: March 3 edition of Air Force Television News

    Training for two different types of wars is highlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Leigh Bellinger goes along with a B-1 Lancer crew practicing bomb runs over west Texas using new computer technology that makes them more efficient.Meanwhile, Tech. Sgt. Pachari

  • Defense acquisition system due for change

    America produces the world's best military aerospace hardware but other nations are pulling ahead, the Air Force senior executive told lawmakers Feb. 27.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche told members of the House Armed Services Committee that apparent contradiction is the result of a

  • Air Force helps Army with airdrops

    Two aircrews from the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and two from the 774th EAS conducted a heavy equipment combat airdrop in south central Afghanistan Feb. 17, and a container delivery system airdrop Feb. 23.The crews, both assigned to the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed

  • Flight keeps base fueled up

    Keeping tent fuel drums filled and aircraft gassed up is vital at Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. Without fuel, the mission stops and living spaces inside tents feel like a freezer.That is why airmen from the 376th Logistics Readiness Squadron's petroleum, oil and lubricants flight tirelessly work to

  • Air traffic team keeps sky safe

    Most people can see the daily air traffic at any air base, but they do not see the driving forces that keep the aircraft from having midair collisions.At one forward-deployed location, that behind-the-scenes action is a dual effort by the 321st Operations Group's radar approach control and air

  • Air Force rethinks air operations centers

    The Air Force needs to start thinking of its air operations centers as weapon systems if the service wants to remain the best in the world, the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations said."The AOC is fundamental to what makes us great as an Air Force," Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys said. "If

  • 'Blizzard' of cargo crashes on Charleston

    The workload of the 437th Aerial Port Squadron here increased an estimated 250 percent after two APS buildings at Dover Air Force Base, Del., collapsed under snow from a blizzard.Air Mobility Command officials sent a portion of Dover's cargo here, increasing the average of five to seven trucks

  • Westover bridges airlift effort to Southwest Asia

    Westover's Air Force Reserve Command assets again stand at the critical junction of an air bridge across the Atlantic.The base has become a hive of troops in desert camouflage, C-5 Galaxys filled with equipment and "controlled chaos" in the aerial port and passenger terminal operations hub.A long

  • Exercise under way in Thailand

    More than 400 U.S. airmen and Marines and 600 servicemembers from Thailand and Singapore are flying air-to-air and air-to-ground missions as part of the annual multi-lateral exercise Cope Tiger 2003.The two-week exercise flown from here gives servicemembers from eight different U.S. bases and the

  • Art signals jammer's role in OEF

    A Southwest Asia afternoon sun provided warm light as Staff Sgt. John Alsvig painted a cartoon likeness of one of his unit's EC-130H Compass Call aircraft.The art was featured in the middle of a concrete wall used to deflect propeller wash from tactical and special operations aircraft flying in and

  • Medics take patient care sky high

    Tucked away at this forward-located base is a tiny but tight knit medical team few troops ever notice. But should any one of them fall critically ill or injured, these airmen quickly will become their best friends. They will closely tend to their patient's urgent medical needs while flying

  • Ground pounders

    Air Force heavy equipment operators from the 823rd Red Horse Squadron compact gravel while building a taxiway at a forward-deployed location. Squadron airmen are working around-the-clock to build a taxiway and support ramps more than a mile long to increase capacity for heavy aircraft. (Photo by

  • Air Force receives newest Global Hawk

    The seventh Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle touched down here Feb. 14 after its flight from Air Force Plant 42 in nearby Palmdale, Calif., where it was built by lead government contractor Northrop Grumman.This latest Global Hawk is the program's final advanced concept technology platform and is

  • Command releases RQ-1 accident report

    Air Force investigators have determined that human error caused an RQ-1 Predator aircraft to crash Sept. 17 at a classified forward-operating location in Southwest Asia.The Predator, which is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, was destroyed upon impact. The loss is estimated at $3.2 million. No

  • ACC releases F-16 accident report

    Air Force investigators have determined engine failure caused an F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft to crash Sept. 11 during a basic surface attack training sortie.The F-16C was destroyed upon impact 1,300 feet short of the runway at the Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport in Hattiesburg, Miss. The pilot

  • GPS jamming no 'silver bullet' for potential adversaries

    Iraq and other potential adversaries may have the ability to jam global positioning system signals, but Air Force war planners are not too worried about the effect of jamming on precision munitions.In fact, it is a challenge they have been anticipating for a long time, and they are confident in

  • NCO owns vintage aircraft, drops bombs

    For six months out of the year, Tech. Sgt. David Brown drops bombs on Bealeton, Va.Using his newly-acquired 1941 PT-17 aircraft, he can narrow in on a moving target, usually a person running around below, and release his ammunition -- bags filled with baking flour nicknamed "flour bombs."The comedy

  • DOD activates commercial airlift reserves

    Commercial airlines have been enlisted by Department of Defense officials to transport troops and equipment as part of the buildup for possible war with Iraq.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld ordered the activation of Stage 1 of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. The CRAF, created in 1952, boosts U.S.

  • Base tests cargo decontamination

    After shutting down the engines following a two-and-a-half-hour flight, the C-130 Hercules crew opened the hatch to offload the cargo and passengers here.Kaboom! The base had just been hit by a simulated scud-missile attack, possibly contaminating the passengers and cargo that just arrived.Airmen

  • Propulsion team doubles capacitor capabilities

    The viability of powerful directed-energy weapons on future Air Force aircraft just got a shot in the arm with a greater than two-fold improvement to key electrical components that are needed to make the lasers work.Air Force Research Laboratory propulsion directorate researchers involved in the

  • C-17 test team conducts airdrop tests

    An Air Force test team set out from here Feb. 2 on a C-17 Globemaster III to conduct egress and airdrop tests with help from soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C.Each of the tests supports a combat mission needs statement from Air Mobility Command. The egress testing will evaluate the emergency procedures

  • Ladies' night over Afghanistan

    In one of her songs, country singer Shania Twain croons about all the things women do these days -- they are judges, politicians, doctors and soldiers, to name a few.Not mentioned in the song, but occurring more frequently as the global war on terrorism continues, is something else: female fliers

  • Office responds to Columbia disaster

    Within seconds of NASA's announcement that it had lost contact with Space Shuttle Columbia on Feb. 1, the Department of Defense's manned space flight support office here initiated its catastrophic incident checklists.The DDMS mission is to coordinate NASA requests for Defense Department-unique

  • Runway's end home for 'Warthog' launchers

    The end of the runway is one of the worst places to work at windswept Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, which is located at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountains.It is cold and wind gusts kick up clouds of choking dust, said Staff Sgt. Chris Bolt. But the weapons loader spends 12 hours a day, seven days