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U.S. Air Force News

  • DoD, academia test systems for GPS denial

    Navigating the globe was once done using the sun, moon and stars as references, but modern times bring modern methods, and the majority of the world now relies on GPS for its navigation needs.

  • McConnell AFB innovation saves $40K, increases safety

    The 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron’s vehicle management flight recently constructed and installed a modification on a vehicle to enhance the safety of McConnell Air Force Base Airmen while saving the Air Force thousands of dollars.

  • Nellis AFB to support Hurricane Irma rescue operations

    In mid-afternoon Sept. 8, 2017, the 66th Rescue Squadron and 823rd Maintenance Squadron assigned to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, received a call from U.S. Northern Command to ready teams to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency search and rescue efforts in the Florida Keys following the

  • Ops Airmen, key to mission success

    Before an F-22 Raptor takes off for training or a combat mission, maintainers and weapons Airmen are seen on the flight line preparing, servicing and readying the jet to contest any airspace. However, it takes more than fifth generation machinery and flight line crews to accomplish the mission. A

  • Air Force delivers doctors, aid to Florida

    Three C-17s from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina and Dover Air Force Base, Delaware flew more than 300 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to Orlando, Florida, Sept. 9, 2017, in anticipation of Hurricane Irma’s landfall Sept. 10.

  • Rescue assets preposition for Hurricane Irma relief

    Moody Air Force Base aircraft and rescue assets relocated to Columbus AFB, Mississippi, Sept. 9, 2017, before Hurricane Irma’s arrival.The aircraft and rescue assets will remain at Columbus AFB before re-engaging with other Moody AFB assets to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and

  • E-8C JSTARS evacuate to Tinker AFB

    Five E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft from the 116th Air Control Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, evacuated to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, to escape the path of Hurricane Irma Sept. 9, 2017.

  • Kentucky Air Guardsmen evacuate personnel following Hurricane Irma

    For the second time in two weeks, special operators and aircrews from the Kentucky Air National Guard have deployed to support hurricane rescue operations, evacuating more than 170 U.S. citizens from the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten Sept. 9, 2017.

  • Dobbins ARB provides hurricane evacuation support

    Late on the evening of Sept. 6, 2017, the first of several KC-130 Super Hercules carrying evacuees landed at the Dobbins Air Reserve Base flightline. What began as a typical aircraft arrival scene with airfield managers guiding the planes in, became a bit more unique as Marine Corps aircrews

  • Reserve wing continues fire fighting efforts

    Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing sent a second Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130 to Fresno Air Tanker Base, California Sept. 6, 2017, to support ongoing aerial fire fighting efforts in the Western U.S.

  • Civil Air Patrol links 300 stranded people to needed help

    A Civil Air Patrol aircraft taking photos along the rain-swollen Colorado River near Wharton, Texas, received a radio call for help and observed a group of people gathered at Holy Families Catholic Church. Three hundred people sought shelter from the floodwaters that cut-off access to the town of

  • EPLOs provide critical coordination to FEMA disaster relief efforts

    As three CH-47 Chinooks flew into Joint Base San Antonio-Seguin Auxiliary Airfield from the west, , Col. Harry Hughes, an emergency preparedness liaison officer, quickly worked through how to alleviate a back-up of overflow truck traffic onto the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Incident

  • AFNORTH wraps up Hurricane Harvey ops, looks East to Irma

    As Hurricane Harvey slammed into coastal Texas the last week of August, Houston and the surrounding area were pounded with unprecedented amounts of rain – experiencing 50 inches of rain in a matter of days. That is more than the annual average for the region.

  • Time Tested: Airman serves 21 years on same aircraft

    Since entering active military service in 1956, the C-130 Hercules has earned its place in the storied history of air power, time and time again. From Vietnam all the way up through Operation Inherent Resolve, the C-130 has always made a name for itself by providing critical airlift.For Master Sgt.

  • Keesler AFB medical team supports hurricane relief effort

    An Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Team, and a supporting logistics team, from Keesler Air Force Base arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Aug. 30, 2017, to support the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

  • AF Week in Photos

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

  • Air Force keeps rescue operations fueled

    Airmen from 71st Rescue Squadron and 23d Logistics Readiness Squadron conducting forward area refueling point operations were the life blood to air search and rescue missions going Aug. 31, 2017 in Beaumont, Texas.

  • Special Tactics saves lives in Hurricane Harvey aftermath

    To assist in rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, 38 Special Tactics Airmen deployed to Southeast Texas to provide critical disaster relief.Special Tactics Airmen with the 123rd and 125th Special Tactics Squadrons exercised their personnel rescue and global access capabilities to

  • Compass Call dominates OIR with electronic warfare

    Often times when we think about how air power is used in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, we think about cargo aircraft delivering critical supplies and personnel to the frontlines or bombs being dropped onto targets. What’s not often thought of is how the Air Force has the

  • 774th EAS conducts first combat airdrop in more than two years

    Months of planning and weeks of preparing culminates to an airdrop lasting a few seconds. While the time and effort that goes into planning a combat airdrop may seem long for something that lasts less than a minute, for the ground troops, the equipment they received will have a lasting impact.

  • Moody AFB assets launch for rescue operations

    HH-60G Pave Hawks from the 41st Rescue Squadron launch sorties in support of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, Aug. 29, 2017, at Easterwood Airport, College Station, Texas. The 347th Rescue Group from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, sent aircraft and personnel in support of the Federal Emergency

  • JB Charleston provides aid to hurricane victims

    Two C-17 Globemaster III aircraftr left Joint base Charleston carrying 30.6 tons of relief supplies to Alexandria International Airport, Alexandria, Louisiana, in response to Hurricane Harvey Aug. 29, 2017.

  • Rescue assets preposition for Hurricane Harvey response

    Airmen from the 23rd Wing launched HC-130J Combat King IIs, HH-60G Pavehawks and their aircrews to preposition assets to potentially respond to recovery operations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey at Moody Air Force Base, Aug. 26, 2017.The 23rd Wing received a prepare to deploy order to support

  • Two-week summit takes aim at aircrew retention

    The Aircrew Crisis Task Force hosted a two-week aircrew retention summit here as part of a holistic approach to improve readiness and capacity by increasing retention of experienced aviators Aug. 14-25, 2017.

  • Hurricane Hunters track Harvey

    Harvey began as a scattered collection of clouds drifting across the Atlantic Ocean and in just over a week has developed into a category two hurricane.

  • Charleston C-17 flies on "dark side of the moon"

    An aircrew of reserve Airmen from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina had the opportunity Aug. 21, 2017 to fly a routine C-17 Globemaster III training mission under not so routine conditions–flying in the path of a total solar eclipse.

  • Airmen, Sailors prepare to support F-35 at sea

    Two Petty Officers 1st Class from the USS Abraham Lincoln received initial training from the Air Force’s 33rd Maintenance Squadron’s Aerospace Ground Equipment, or AGE, flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Aug. 7-11, 2017.

  • AF Week in Photos

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

  • ATOC works around the clock to keep cargo and personnel moving

    Maintaining the inbound and outbound movement of cargo and personnel in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve requires careful coordination between a multitude of entities. In order for the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing to effectively complete its mission and deliver

  • Stealth Guardian demonstrates rescue, 5th generation integration

    Two wings, one mission: to execute a local squadron-planned exercise between the 23d Wing and the 325th Fighter Wing during Exercise Stealth Guardian August 7-11, 2017.During months of planning between Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida and Moody AFB, Georgia., Exercise Stealth Guardian was conceived

  • Celebrating Air Force heritage: The “Great Centennial” squadrons

    This calendar year has marked many great anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of Air Training Command and the 70th anniversary of the Air Force. August marks the 110th anniversary of the Aeronautical Division of the Sign Corps—an unbroken line of Airmen began with its creation on Aug. 1,

  • Mobility Guardian draws to an end

    Crews flew approximately 1,200 hours in eight days, executing almost 650 sorties during Exercise Mobility Guardian, July 31 to Aug. 12, 2017.

  • F-35As fly in weapons evaluation

    Airmen from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings supported and flew their F-35A Lightning II aircraft during Combat Hammer, the first operational air-to-ground weapons evaluation for the Air Force’s newest fighter jets.

  • AFRL tests high-efficiency engine for unmanned aircraft

    The Air Force Research Laboratory Advanced Power Technology Office, along with Engineered Propulsion Systems and the Arnold Engineering and Development Center, recently concluded ground-based testing of an advanced diesel engine that promises to increase the utility and ease the logistics burden of

  • BLUE: The Cyber Shield

    Air Force TV has released the latest episode of the Air Force's flagship television program, BLUE.

  • 62nd FS mate finally laid to rest

    Nearly 50 Airmen assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, attended the funeral of former 62nd FS pilot 2nd Lt. Charles E. Carlson at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pennsylvania, Aug. 4, 2017.

  • Ellsworth AFB Airmen train with foreign allies

    Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Bombers, under the command of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, joined their counterparts from South Korean and Japanese air forces in sequenced bilateral missions, Aug. 7, 2017.

  • 8th Fighter Squadron reactivated after six years

    A pilot strides forward, his green flight suit a stark contrast to the pale blue of a desert morning sky. An insignia, circled in gold and donning a sheep with a wool coat black as night, is stitched atop his right breast. He hikes up a ladder, hands gripping steel and hops into the cockpit of an

  • Luke graduates first F-35A initial qualification course

    The 61st Fighter Squadron made history graduating the first F-35A Lightning II initial qualification course Aug. 5, 2017. After eight months of tremendous teamwork from across the 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base produced six F-35A fighter pilots ready for the combat Air Force.

  • Mobility Guardian Phase 2 begins

    The second half of Exercise Mobility Guardian began Aug. 6, 2017, and will focus on training aircrew on advanced tactical air operations.

  • Search for our fallen continues

    Drenched in sweat from the hot, humid Vietnam weather, our shovels breached the earth’s surface excavating the ground and placing it into buckets to be screened as we searched for one of our own.

  • SECAF talks Light Attack Experiment, innovation at AFA dinner

    While speaking at an Air Force Association event in Arlington, Va., Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson highlighted the four aircraft that Air Force pilots will fly through a range of combat mission scenarios in the Light Attack Experimentation Campaign at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico

  • Mobility Guardian, AMC’s premier exercise

    Train like we fight is the focus of the inaugural iteration of the largest scale exercise in Air Mobility Command history.Mobility Guardian will feature more than 3,000 personnel, including 25 international countries, from July 31 to Aug. 11, 2017, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

  • Cold War hero laid to rest

    His final journey began with the beat of a drum. The sky was clear. A light breeze was blowing as the hero’s family, friends and well-wishers followed the flag-draped coffin carried by the caisson pulled by six black horses.

  • Total Force Airmen maximize refueling capacity in Europe

    In a long-standing total force partnership between Air Force Reserve Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe, members of the 507th Air Refueling Wing are augmenting the 100th Air Refueling Wing here to provide KC-135R Stratotanker mid-air refueling support to the European theater of operations, July

  • Holloman AFB flies toward future

    The Air Force provides day and night support to troops all around the world, and Holloman Air Force Base’s remotely piloted aircraft training mission is at the forefront.

  • B-52 testers complete leaflet bomb drops

    An important part of U.S. military operations overseas is communicating with the local population. This can be done in a number of ways including something as simple as distributing leaflets.  In psychological operations, leaflets with messages are often dropped from aircraft in order to reach a

  • 17th ATKS celebrates 75 years of aviation excellence

    For the past 75 years, the 17th Attack Squadron have played an integral part in the defense of the nation by providing combatant commanders with reconnaissance capabilities, and more recently, with precision attack capabilities.

  • SecAF gets firsthand look at MQ-1, MQ-9 mission

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited Creech Air Force Base July 19, 2017 to get a closer look at the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper mission.During her visit Wilson toured the base and gained insight into the dominant persistent attack and reconnaissance mission the Airmen of the 432nd

  • AF Week in Photos

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

  • Air advisor teamwork enhances expeditionary Air Force compound

    Over the past four months, a small team of air advisors, deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve to Qayyarah West Airfield, Iraq, combined its efforts to enhance and improve the U.S. Air Force’s compound, changing the working conditions for the airmen assigned

  • KC-10s display global reach in the Pacific

    Three KC-10 Extenders flew from Hawaii and Wake Island Airfield to refuel five C-17 Globemaster IIIs carrying over 300 coalition paratroopers across the Pacific Ocean, July 13, 2017.

  • Air Force MTI named Military Times Airman of the Year

    A 326th Training Squadron military training instructor facilitator has been selected as the Military Times 2017 Airman of the Year for her exceptional service over the course of a 15-year Air Force career.

  • Colonel promotes wife, then retires

    When military members hold their promotion ceremonies, many times their families enjoy the occasion alongside them. Spouses, children, parents, siblings and other relatives witness the time-honored ceremony and take part in the tradition of pinning or tacking on the next rank.

  • A-10 pilot spits fire in fight against ISIS

    Originally tasked to deploy as an A-10 pilot in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Lt. Col. Ben Rudolphi saw his mission change before even leaving the U.S.Instead of manning his aircraft, he was given the opportunity to lead others as the commander of the 407th Expeditionary Operation Support

  • Innovation challenge brings possible advancement in F-22 test capabilities

    The 412th Test Wing’s Experimentation Center for Ideas/Technology Exploration team, known as XCITE, hosted a one-day innovation challenge July 10, 2017.Several engineers from around Edwards Air Force Base partnered with members of the Desert High School Robotics team to come up with a solution to a

  • US, coalition partners demonstrate global defense capabilities

    Four U.S. Air Force and one Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs loaded with more than 300 American and Canadian paratroopers took off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to Shoalwater Bay, Australia, for biennial training exercise, Talisman Saber July 13, 2017.

  • DUI: What it really costs

    When an Airman receives a DUI charge, they are eligible to receive both a civilian conviction if caught off base, as well as a punishment given at their commander’s discretion. The final sentence could cost thousands of dollars in fines, suspension of their license, negative paperwork,

  • Rescue Airmen save two German citizens stranded at sea

    In a concerted effort from July 7, and into the early hours of July 8, 2017, approximately 80 Airmen and four aircraft assigned to the 920th Rescue Wing successfully rescued two German citizens whose vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida.

  • AF Week in Photos

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

  • USAFA cadets train for future at 386th AEW

    Each summer, rising juniors at the U.S. Air Force Academy travel to military bases across the globe to get a first-hand look at how support and operational functions work together to accomplish a wing’s mission. This year, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted approximately twenty cadets as part

  • Robins AFB finishes Global Hawk work

    A special ribbon-cutting ceremony, signaling the early completion of work on the first RQ-4 Global Hawk at Robins Air Force Base, was held on the base flight line here June 29, 2017.

  • Yesterday's Air Force: RPAs

    This episode of Yesterday's Air Force looks at the history of Remotely Piloted Aircraft. RPAs are not a new war-fighting technology, in fact their development goes back to the early 20th century. Roger Connor with the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum takes us through their evolution.

  • Silver Star mission a lesson in teamwork

    Retired Lt. Col. Gregory Thornton was presented the Silver Star Medal - the third highest medal for valor in the military - in a private ceremony held at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force June 30, 2017.

  • Combat metals team innovates repair, saves AF thousands

    You don’t always have everything you want on a deployment. No sixty inch plasma with video game console in your room, so you bring a laptop to play your games. Your cell phone doesn’t have coverage unless you pay exorbitant roaming fees, so you video chat with your family over Wi-Fi when you can