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U.S. Air Force News

  • Museum volunteer shares story of service

    It was January 1945, and 21-year-old Lt. Donald Clark found himself piloting a C-47A Skytrain over the Western Front as the Battle of the Bulge was coming to an end. The aircraft was on its way to resupply Lt. Gen. George Patton's 3rd U.S. Army, and its tanks, with fuel and ammunition, as they began

  • SBIRS constellation forms under one roof

    Airmen from the 460th Operations Group have made history by successfully completing the first series of Space Based Infrared System satellite and antenna communication on Jan. 28-30 from Block 10, the new operations floor, on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.

  • Cope North 15 kicks off at Andersen

    Exercise Cope North 15 kicked off at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 15, and will run through Feb. 27, marking the 86th iteration of the multilateral training exercise.

  • Buckley Airman 'strikes out' competition

    Some people never get the chance to turn their hobbies into achievements, but one 2nd Space Warning Squadron Airman proved that if you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

  • Carter’s message to DOD workforce

    Ash Carter, who was sworn in as the 25th secretary of Defense Feb. 17, laid out his top priorities in a message to the Defense Department workforce.

  • Evolution of perspective: Airman finds balance after diagnosis

    Senior Master Sgt. Daphne Soto never meets a stranger because each encounter opens a door to a potential new friend, or to someone who just needs to talk, and she'll keep the door open for both. But while she cares for her Airmen at all times, she had to learn that sometimes saying "no" is

  • AF chief of staff: Call to the future

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III shared his thoughts on where the Air Force is, where it’s going and how it’s going to get there with an audience at the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 12, in Orlando, Florida.

  • Cody gives enlisted perspective at AFA

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody outlined his top priorities for the enlisted force during the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 12.

  • First AF theater security package deploys to Europe

    This week the U.S. Air Force deployed 12 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and approximately 300 Airmen as part of a theater security package to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

  • Female U-2 pilot blazes trail through society and space

    As a child she imagined flying amongst the stars, thousands of miles above the earth’s surface, and today Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal is one of eight female pilots to ever fly the U-2 and the only black female pilot during the aircraft's history.

  • Arctic conditions make cleaning waste a challenge

    Members of the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron, along with five other state and federal agencies, practiced techniques to deal with oil or hazardous waste spills under cold weather conditions during an exercise here Feb. 3-5.

  • Airfield, aircrew safety after dark

    As the sun sets and the street lights come on, many service members and civilians from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, head home after a long day of work. Meanwhile, some base members are just clocking in.

  • Key defense suppliers recognized for stellar delivery to warfighters

    Getting top-notch materiel to the warfighters in the most cost-effective and efficient manner is what the American public expects of defense contractors. One of the things the military services are now doing to incentivize industry to improve is by recognizing their top performers. This is

  • Fueling future training

    Tyndall Air Force Base is home to the world's largest F-22 Raptor fleet, and the only base that trains their pilots; but without the aircraft's maintainers, this impressive force could never take off from the ramp.

  • Greek, US training reaffirms rock-solid friendship

    With the White Mountains of Crete as their backdrop, U.S. and Hellenic air forces F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft soared to great heights and speeds as part of a continuing flying training deployment (FTD) Jan. 16 through Feb. 13 at Souda Bay, Greece.

  • US, Japan helicopter crews get on the same page

    Service members from the 459th Airlift Squadron invited Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) members from Camp Higashi-Tachikawa, to ride along in two UH-1N Iroquois helicopters Jan. 29, 2015, near Tokyo.

  • ‘Super’ Airman becomes professional bodybuilder

    After a heavy weight workout, Senior Airman Terrence Ruffin walks over to a row of mirrors in the gym posing and flexing his muscles for more than half an hour. This behavior isn't an overabundance of ego or vanity, but a critical part of the training routine for Ruffin, a professional bodybuilder.

  • Juniper Thunder strengthens AF, Army communications

    Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and Soldiers from Rhine Ordnance Barracks, Germany, came together here to take part in a joint communications exercise and establish bilateral communications across the two branch's networks, Jan. 19.

  • Binding material to save Osprey engines

    The 58th Special Operations Wing has a plan to mitigate aircraft engine damage that happens during training missions using a biodegradable binding material at practice landing zones.TerraLOC — a material is described to 58th SOW officials as "Gorilla Glue on steroids," by its manufacturer -- binds

  • AFRL announces winners of student satellite competition

    Students representing 10 universities competed for the chance to send a satellite they designed and built into space. The competition was sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate University Nanosat Program.

  • Lead-in training increases Afghan capabilities

    Train, Advise, Assist Command – Air maintainers are providing lead-in training to Afghan air force airmen at the Kabul Air Wing in an effort to ensure they excel at the C-130 Hercules maintenance courses they will attend in the U.S.

  • A dream born from chaos

    In the early hours of Dec. 20, 1989, when most of Panama City was sleeping, a 10-year-old boy and his family were awakened by explosions and helicopters overhead. The family exited their home, only to witness pandemonium: buildings burning down, people running and screaming. War was reality for

  • Cope South experts exchange knowledge, techniques

    The flight line here at exercise Cope South 15 (CS15) is usually a flurry of activity every morning, with maintainers firing up auxiliary power units and loadmasters finalizing their cargo plan.However on Jan. 27, there wasn't a single C-130 Hercules aircraft engine running. Instead, U.S. and

  • Air Force names 2-star to lead F-35 Integration Office

    With the initial operating capability date of the F-35 Lightning II quickly approaching, the Air Force appointed Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian as the director of a larger Air Force F-35 Integration Office, Feb. 1.

  • Air Force risks becoming too small to succeed under sequestration

    During testimony on Capitol Hill Jan. 28, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III stressed the negative impact sequestration will have on future Air Force capabilities, emphasizing further budget cuts will lead to low morale and declined readiness in the Air Force.

  • For the love of shooting

    If you were to ask Staff Sgt. Alan Daly to explain the role combat arms instructors play in the success of the 48th Fighter Wing mission, he would say that the base is a “forward, ready, now” base."That's what we do. We deploy," said the 48th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor.

  • Altus AFB assists with Army National Guard jump training

    Even with the noise of the aircraft flying 1,000 feet above the ground, the mood is quiet."Six minutes!" yells Staff Sgt. Laura Bourdlais, a 58th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, before she opens the side door revealing the lights of San Antonio, Texas, in the distance.

  • Cope South 15 launches in Bangladesh

    U.S. Air Force and Bangladesh air force (BAF) personnel took to the sky Jan. 24, for the launch of exercise Cope South 15, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored, bilateral tactical airlift exercise at BAF Base Bangabandhu, Bangladesh.

  • 341st MMXS missile communications train for field

    When it comes to ensuring the U.S.'s intercontinental ballistic missiles are ready at a moment's notice, an essential piece to the puzzle is proper maintenance on its communications network.This is where the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron Missile Communications training section comes into play.

  • MAPS, PREL achieve all work cages ready for duty

    All 17 of the 341st Missile Wing's guided missile maintenance platforms (GMMP) became available for field use Jan. 14, according to Lt. Col. John Briner, the 341st Missile Operations Squadron commander. This feat is unprecedented in recent memory.

  • AFSOUTH aids in training partners for UN Peace keeping mission

    Members of Air Forces Southern military training team were given the opportunity in December 2014, to teach the Defense Institute for Medical Operations train-the-trainer course focused on the Ebola virus to approximately 100 individuals from Latin American partner countries.

  • The 'daily flap' brings morale, leadership to Total Force team

    When reporting for the duty day, most maintainers go to their areas, prepare for their shift and begin the day's work. Yet the day begins a bit differently for some members in the 92nd Maintenance Squadron, where an Airman found a way to motivate, inspire and lead others with just a few words of

  • Ramstein Airmen train with French air force

    Airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron participated in Volfa 15-1, an annual, multilateral training event led by the French air force at Orleans - Bricy Air Base, France, Jan. 21.

  • Air Force BMT introduces innovative Capstone Week

    Air Force basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph-Lackland will soon restructure its current eight-and-a-half-week course to make room for a new five-day program called Capstone Week, beginning Jan. 27 with trainees entering BMT.

  • Yokota aircrew practices survival tactics in Fuji foothills

    An aircrew with the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, tested their survival, evasion, resistance and escape capabilities Jan. 16 at Camp Fuji, Japan. The SERE-led exercise tested their ability to survive a simulated aircraft crash behind enemy lines.

  • Adventure in Alaska: Officer looks to mush dogs in Iditarod

    Snow and trees are all that can be seen for miles while the bitter cold nips at any piece of exposed skin. Maj. Roger Lee can almost taste the frost touching his warm breath as he yells "mush" to command his 16 dogs to trudge across the vast landscape, breaking the deafening silence of his

  • Cross-utilization training solving problems for McChord Airmen

    After a year of cuts in both manning and fiscal resources, the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here had to develop a creative way to keep the mission going strong by educating Airmen in other Air Force specialty codes (AFSCs) to assist the currently undermanned aircraft hydraulics section.

  • Andersen AFB Airman makes every dollar count

    An Airman from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron put his innovative thinking to the test, stepping up to the challenge put forth by Air Force leaders under a service wide cost saving initiative.Capt. Nassem Ghandour, the 554th RHS engineering flight deputy commander, was recognized through the Every

  • Controlling the airspace for three generations

    Children often admire parents and grandparents for doing great things, which can compel them to follow in their families’ footsteps and strive for greatness. For one Airman here, those footsteps from the past were followed almost exactly, leading to three generations of air traffic controllers.

  • Living museum: Airman preserves AF uniforms

    Walking through the 20th Maintenance Group building, it would be appropriate to stop and gaze into the office of one senior leader there. Eyes would be greeted with several mannequins wearing different shades of green and blue, each decorated with metals and ribbons.For most of his life, Lt. Col.

  • SAPR: Creating a culture shift

    According to officials from the Department of Defense's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, rising reports of sexual assault is not only a good indication of a cultural shift in the force structure, but also on the utilization of SAPR resources.People who experience sexual assault are

  • Israeli air force training

    Maj. Kevin Coughlin, the 48th Airlift Squadron flight commander and an instructor pilot, had the opportunity to travel far from Little Rock AFB to train Israeli aircrew members beyond the initial training level.

  • F-35 arrival begins new era at weapons school

    A new era began at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School when its first F-35A Lightning II touched-down on the flightline here Jan. 15, flown straight from the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas.

  • USecAF lands at Moody, visits Airmen

    Under Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning visited Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Jan. 15, for the first time to learn more about the mission and experience it firsthand.

  • AF to expand Powder River Training Complex

    The Air Force issued its record of decision Jan. 16, to expand the airspace at the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC), after an extensive review of environmental impacts and public concerns regarding expansion.

  • TAAC-Air speaks of mission in its new name

    For more than seven years, NATO Air Training Command – Afghanistan has been working side-by-side with Afghan National Security Forces to build, strengthen and empower the Afghan air force.With the transition toward Resolute Support, as of Jan. 14, NATC-A has been renamed to Train, Advise, Assist

  • Air Force senior leadership addresses need to stabilize RPA enterprise

    During a State of the Air Force address held at the Pentagon, Jan 15, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James announced immediate preliminary steps to develop a get-well plan to improve the health of the MQ-1B Predator and MQ-9 Reaper enterprise in light of extensive combatant commander

  • Hard work, dedication in below zero temperatures

    It's 6:30 a.m., 27 degrees below zero and the sky remains dark. Senior Airman Taylor Lancaster heads to his locker to sort his gear and make sure he has everything ready to begin work in the frigid weather.

  • EOD: Keeping Airmen, community safe

    The motto, “initial success or total failure,” requires Airmen of the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) flight here to think outside the box and accept nothing less than perfection when performing their duties.

  • Brothers in arms

    Brothers in arms is a common expression among military members, but rarely do actual siblings directly complement each other's contributions to the mission. At the 388th Fighter Wing on Hill Air Force Base, Utah, 1st Lt. Sean Rush and Staff Sgt. Brandon Rush are doing exactly that.

  • Building strategic relationships

    The Air Force’s ability to continue building partnerships to meet challenges of future warfare directly involves Airmen and Soldiers who are focused on building partnership capacity throughout Southwest Asia. As the result of a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates (UAE),

  • Power lifting through faith, strength

    Staff Sgt. Ashley Bryant, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-native, broke the women's national bench press record with a 231.1 pound lift during a weight-lifting competition in Illinois while home on leave.

  • Academy Airman helps Afghan interpreter start new life in US

    Master Sgt. Michael Simon, now an Academy Military Trainer for Cadet Squadron 16, began a year-long deployment in June 2011 at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan as a Mi-17 crew chief air adviser, where he relied heavily on Afghan interpreters to stay alive and accomplish the mission of training Afghan

  • New deicing simulator saves money, manpower, increases training

    With the winter months comes freezing temperatures, snow, frost and ice, but despite the inclement weather the mission continues, making aircraft deicing a main priority for maintainers.This year, to increase training capabilities and save money and manpower, the 92nd Maintenance Group installed a

  • Kabul Afghan Airmen complete FAST training

    As American security forces transition to Resolute Support, it is important that Afghan security forces can secure their own country. Recently another step was taken in this direction when eight Afghan air force security forces airmen graduated the first Kabul Air Wing Fly-Away Security Team

  • End of an era signals new beginnings for security forces

    Ninety-five security forces Airmen from around the country attended the last 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron's Base Security Operations course Dec. 6-20, at the Silver Flag Alpha Range Complex, outside of Las Vegas.

  • A new era of retrograde operations as squadron inactivates

    Ringing in not only a new year, but a new era of retrograde operations, the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron was inactivated during a ceremony here Jan. 1.In a time honored tradition, Lt. Col. Christopher Carmichael, the 455th EAPS commander, relinquished command of the squadron to Col.

  • Ice bridge closes gap to range complex

    From the first day the Tanana River in Alaska is frozen enough to walk on, Airmen from the Eielson Air Force Base’s 354th Civil Engineer Squadron’s range maintenance shop drill holes, pump water and let it freeze, layer after layer.

  • Putting the ‘combat’ in combat communications

    Airmen from the 644th Combat Communications Squadron recently exercised their abilities to respond to various scenarios during contingency operations such as emergency response, self-aid and buddy care, and force protection, while demonstrating combat skills at the Andy South annex near Andersen Air

  • OSI agents committed to the challenge

    To a select group of special agents assigned to Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 212 at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, it is an honor to commit their time as peace-keepers of the Air Force.

  • Dreams come true for Italian Airman

    Sono un aviatore Americano. When translated, these words represent the bridge between two disparate lives for Dimas Bernacchia -- the life of an Italian immigrant and the life of an American Airman.

  • Luke returns F-16Ds to flight after longeron repair

    Aircraft maintainers at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona and Hill AFB, Utah, have been working on getting F-16D Fighting Falcons back into the air since mid-October and are nearing completion of repairs on 32 of Luke's F-16D aircraft .

  • Son flies in father's footsteps

    Some sons walk in their father's footsteps, while others fly in them. This was recently the case for Capt. Taylor Wight, an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, flew a Weapons Systems Evaluation Program mission with his father, Col. Al Wimmer,an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot.

  • 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.

  • Altitude chamber takes its last breath

    For more than 50 years, aircrew at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, have shared a common physical experience; they all have felt the effects of rapid depressurization inside a hypobaric chamber.

  • AMC relocates KC-135 simulator

    As Air Mobility Command fields the KC-46A Pegasus, displaced KC-135 Stratotanker pilot simulators will be relocated across the Total Force to maximize simulator access across the mobility enterprise.

  • RED HORSE joins Navy, local Guam engineers for concrete course

    Several Airmen from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron and Guam Air National Guard's 254th RED HORSE Squadron teamed up with U.S. Navy Sailors from Naval Base Guam to participate in the island's first joint concrete American Concrete Institute (ACI) field concrete testing program Dec. 9-12.

  • AF delivers Iraqi F-16s for training in US

    For more than 65 years the Air Force has embraced the concept of flexibility being the key to airpower. Now Airmen from the Arizona Air National Guard are sharing that capacity to find creative ways to overcome problems with one of the Air Force's newest allies – the Iraqi air force.