NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Wheels up: Hill shop improves F-35 tire change process

    For years, the wheel shop at Hill Air Force Base has disassembled, inspected, repaired, built, and delivered reliable tires and wheels for F-16 Fighting Falcons. That reliability and 24-hour turnaround service will remain intact as the base's operational mission transitions to the F-35A Lightning

  • Eglin units save thousands with F-35 innovations

    Around 500 maintenance personnel are assigned to work with the F-35 at Eglin Air Force Base. These Airmen and Sailors are some of the first to maintain the fifth-generation jet which gives them the opportunity to assist manufacturers in developing tools, technology and data to maintain it.

  • Airman finds voice in virtual world

    Some people attach a social stigma to video games and the people who play them -- when they picture a gamer, they don’t think of a well-lit room, socialization and a strong sense of community. Airman 1st Class Anthony Webb isn’t the stereotypical gamer. His dorm room is set up as a small studio,

  • Raptors complete successful European deployment

    Twelve F-22 Raptors from the 95th Fighter Squadron and about 220 Airmen from Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, completed on May 8 a month-long deployment to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.

  • New names enshrined at annual EOD memorial event

    Dressed in the bright whites, deep blues and dense blacks of their service uniforms, Airmen, Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers came together once again May 7 to honor their fallen explosive ordnance disposal brethren during an annual memorial ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

  • Hill F-35s form up for combat training

    F-35 Lightning II pilots from Hill Air Force Base began flying routine four-ship combat training missions at the Utah Test and Training Range in the west desert May 2.

  • Eglin’s environmental team named best in DOD

    Eglin's environmental team won the Defense Department's top environmental prize, earning the 2016 Secretary of Defense Environmental Quality Team award. The award recognizes individuals, teams and installations that support mission readiness through its environmental activities.

  • Beale selected for Resilient Energy Demonstration Initiative

    The Air Force has selected Beale Air Force Base, California, as the lead site for its Resilient Energy Demonstration Initiative (REDI) to develop and deploy innovative energy resilience technologies and business models, and then apply the results to other missions and installations across the Air

  • Eglin Airman selected by Welsh for unique commissioning program

    An Airman’s cell phone rings, but he doesn’t answer because for him personal calls can wait until after work. It rings again; he lets it go to voicemail. On the third call he finally answers and is shocked to discover Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III on the line. During the call,

  • Airman swims into university’s hall of fame

    For one 96th Test Wing Airman, the wild blue yonder isn't overhead but below and in front of his gaze as he stands on the starting block waiting for his signal. Upon the alert, he blasts off and pierces his calm blue horizon to begin a competitive swim. Senior Airman Francisco Perez Castillo, a 96th

  • Around the Air Force: April 22

    This look around the Air Force features a special centennial celebration in Paris and Airmen at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, break a world record.

  • AF names candidate bases, criteria for choosing next F-35A sites

    Air Force officials announced April 12 that Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri, are candidate bases for the first Reserve-led F-35A Lightning II location.

  • Mixed martial Airman

    Senior Airman Jeremiah Garber, an analyst with the 355th Maintenance Group, intends to take his mixed martial arts game to the next level with intense training in Arizona.

  • Air Force approves RPA initiatives

    The Air Force recently approved two initiatives for the remotely piloted aircraft career field. First, eight RPA reconnaissance squadrons will be redesignated as attack squadrons. Second, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III authorized RPA aircrews to log combat time when flying an

  • Tyndall’s LRS best in Air Force

    The Air Force’s newest logistics readiness squadron is now known as “the best of the best” in the Air Force. The 325th Logistics Readiness Squadron has won the Air Force’s coveted 2015 Major General Warren R. Carter Daedalian Logistics Effectiveness Award less than two years after its official

  • ACC commander addresses RPA health to Senate Armed Services Committee

    Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, addressed plans to improve the health of the Air Force remotely piloted aircraft enterprise March 16 during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the hearing was to

  • Airmen to appear on ‘Weather Geeks’

    For some Airmen, being called a weather geek is a term of endearment. Two Airmen from the 557th Weather Wing recently embraced their inner geek and will share their passion and expertise on an upcoming episode of "Weather Geeks" on the Weather Channel.

  • James visits Luke AFB for more insight on F-35 ops

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James met with Airmen to gain a better understanding of Luke Air Force Base’s mission with a focus on F-35 Lightning II operations, and its maintenance and training facilities March 9-10. During her first visit to the base, James held an all call where she took time

  • Celebrating Women’s History Month

    On a daily basis, women of the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support; maintain both the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper; safeguard control centers; administer medications; file records and maintain secured communications capability. They

  • Hill's F-35s drop first weapons

    Airmen from the 388th and 419th fighter wings dropped laser-guided bombs at the Utah Test and Training Range the week of Feb. 25, marking the first time an F-35 Lightning II combat unit has deployed weapons from the F-35A.

  • Airpower leaders stress stronger role for Airmen in future ops

    Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of the Air Combat Command, and Gen. Robin Rand, the commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, kicked off the Air Force Association’s 32nd annual Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 25 in Orlando, Florida, with a presentation on global precision strike, a group of

  • Painting squadron pride

    When it comes to taking care of the F-16 Fighting Falcons at Holloman Air Force Base, aircraft structural maintenance technicians have a major responsibility. As corrosion experts, they strip and re-paint F-16 tails -- replacing Luke AFB's "LF" with Holloman's "HO."

  • Structural maintainers provide backbone of RPAs

    When people have a blemish, they see a dermatologist; when they have a physiological problem, they see an orthopedist. For the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, aircraft structural maintainers fill both the aesthetic and structural maintenance roles to keep remotely piloted aircraft in check.

  • First simulated F-35A deployment conducted at Mountain Home AFB

    A much anticipated and important test mission for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program is underway with the "deployment" of six operational test and evaluation F-35s and more than 85 Airmen from the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, who arrived Feb. 8-9.

  • Biking brings hope to wounded, recovering veterans

    Members from Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, volunteered as part of the Ride 2 Recovery (R2R) program and brought more than 20 wounded and recovering veterans together for the Vegas Challenge Feb. 1-3 in Blue Diamond, Nevada.

  • Carter talks budget, readiness with Nellis community

    Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited Nellis Air Force Base Feb. 4, during the last leg of his defense budget installation visits. After meeting with service members at the California-based Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Carter spoke to Nellis Airmen to

  • Luke pilot flies 500th hour in F-35

    A 61st Fighter Squadron pilot made history Feb. 2 as the first Luke Air Force Base pilot to achieve 500 flight hours in an F-35 Lightning II. Lt. Col. Matthew Hayden, also the 56th Fighter Wing chief of safety, achieved this milestone flying his 270th sortie, a routine training mission.

  • Success through total force integration at Red Flag 16-1

    It’s a given that no aircraft leaves the ground unless it is working properly. But that maintenance challenge has been multiplied here during the three-week Red Flag 16-1 exercise. With almost 80 aircraft taking off twice daily during Red Flag, hundreds of aircraft maintainers assigned to flying

  • Offutt gives students a chance at mechanics

    Students studying airframe and power plant disciplines at Iowa Western Community College have a unique opportunity to intern with the 55th Maintenance Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, after the squadron cut roughly 300 military slots and replaced them with approximately 150 civilian

  • Luke F-35 team competes for first time in load crew competition

    A Luke Air Force Base F-35A Lightning II crew competed for the first time in a load crew competition Dec. 18, against legacy F-16 Fighting Falcon crews.Quarterly load crew competitions showcase the combat readiness and effectiveness of load crew teams to safely and properly arm an aircraft within

  • NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance aircraft arrives at Edwards

    NATO's first Alliance Ground Surveillance aircraft arrived at Edwards Air Force Base Dec. 19 completing its first flight. The test flight marked the start of six months of ground and airborne testing at Edwards AFB before the aircraft is sent to its new home in Sigonella, Italy.

  • Norwegian F-35 flies for first time under Norwegian command

    Maj. Morten Hanche, a Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35 Lightning II student pilot training with the 62nd Fighter Squadron, flew the first Norwegian F-35 sortie here Dec. 14. Hanche has been training at Luke Air Force Base under the instruction of American pilots for the past several months in order to

  • ACC charts path for remote aircrews, units

    Air Combat Command officials announced the results of their study into the remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) community in an attempt to normalize operations and ensure long-term mission success.

  • Airman achieves lifelong dream of becoming pro bodybuilder

    The technical sergeant stood on the 2015 National Physique Committee National Bodybuilding Championships stage, Nov. 21, in Miami, Florida, in front of thousands of people. The blazing spotlights were on him as the announcer read off the winners -- the moment when his dream came true.

  • Moody deploys first HC-130Js

    The 71st Rescue Squadron deployed two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for the first time Nov. 27. The HC-130Js, which deployed with more than 60 aircrew, support and maintenance personnel, bring a new set of capabilities to the airspace in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

  • ACC commander attends DWG breakfast

    Air Combat Command commander, Gen. Herbert Carlisle, hosted reporters from the Defense Writer’s Group during a breakfast at the Fairmont Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C., Nov. 10.

  • No second chances: AFE Airmen ensure pilot safety

    Pilots rush into the locker room, preparing for another day of flying. Laughing and joking, they throw on their gear and grab their helmets. To them, it's just another day, but the Airmen that serviced their equipment look on slightly anxiously as they see the pilots walk out the door to their

  • ACC intel officer shares new ISR perspective

    Air Combat Command’s senior intelligence officer shared her perspective on fusion warfare with the intelligence community, defense industry and media during an Oct. 22 assembly at the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

  • Moody honors fallen comrade

    Airmen, family and friends gathered at the Moody Air Force Base chapel to say their final goodbyes and honor the life of Tech. Sgt. Marissa Hartford during a memorial service Oct. 16.

  • Hill food court worker selected for DOD award

    Patricia Barson was honored Oct. 16 as one of the Defense Department's outstanding employees with a disability. She was selected for the award from among 32,000 AAFES employees worldwide.

  • Nellis Airman 'LEAPs' into language program

    Capt. Reni Angelova, the 99th Medical Group practice manager, speaks Russian, Bulgarian and English while possessing master’s degrees in economics, law, business administration as well as international relations. She has worked as a teacher and a border patrol agent at one of the busiest checkpoints

  • War paint

    From conception to application, nose art has predominantly been the sole responsibility of aircraft maintainers. As the popularity of nose art peaked in World War II, professional illustrators were hired to paint the sides of aircraft. Generational and social changes have been mirrored in the

  • Hill commemorates new era in combat airpower

    Hill Air Force Base officials and the Top of Utah community officially welcomed the F-35 Lightning II at a ceremony here Oct. 14, an event that formally marked the beginning of F-35 operations for the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings.

  • Remotely piloted aircraft training expands at Holloman

    The Air Force currently employs numerous remotely piloted aircraft in support of surveillance and reconnaissance missions throughout deployed locations, with the bulk of these missions are being placed specifically upon the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft.

  • A little flare: Solar observatory monitors sun’s activity

    Ninety-three million miles away from the Earth sits a fiery sphere of hot gas.It’s 332,946 times the mass of Earth and has surface temperatures reaching 9,932 degrees, which is capable of disrupting satellites, power grids and even pilots flying at high altitudes. The sun launches these attacks

  • RPA maintainers accomplish mission despite low retention

    The constant and insatiable demand for remotely piloted aircraft airpower places stressors on nearly every career field within the RPA enterprise. For some Airmen of the 432nd Maintenance Group, the fast-paced deployment rotation, constant shift work, time away from family, limited assignment

  • Rescuer reunites with ‘Katrina Girl’

    Ten years ago, then-Staff Sgt. Mike Maroney, a helicopter pararescue specialist, was on day seven of a Hurricane Katrina recovery mission when he saw a family on the roof of their home flagging for help. Strapped in and ready to go, he was lowered from his rescue helicopter to the rooftop. What he

  • Time with MAJCOM commanders at the four-star forum

    Members of the Air Force, Air Force Association and defense industry were invited to a Q-and-A session with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James M. Cody and several major command commanders during a four-star forum at the AFA Air and Space

  • Defense secretary visits Nellis

    Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the Nellis Air Force Base Aug. 26 to observe Red Flag 15-4 operations and speak to Airmen and coalition partners about the future of the force and innovation.

  • Aircraft communications maintainers make RPA missions possible

    In a world where cockpits aren't in the plane, these traditional communications Airmen are put in a maintenance environment to link the ground control station, also known as the RPA cockpit, to the aircraft. This capability allows the pilot and sensor operator to control the plane, both locally and

  • F-22s arrive in Estonia

    Two F-22 Raptors and a KC-135 Stratotanker arrived at Ämari Air Base, Estonia, Sept. 5.

  • New ACC program begins, aimed to improve MQ-1/9 community

    The initial stage of Air Combat Command's new program, the Culture and Process Improvement Program, began Aug. 21 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and is designed to take place across 12 Air Force active-duty, Reserve and Guard bases.The CPIP was established to target and develop methods of improvement

  • Polish, US forces improve interoperability at Lask AB

    Four F-16 Fighting Falcons, two F-22 Raptors and a C-130 Hercules arrived at Lask Air Base Aug. 31. The Airmen and aircraft are in Poland for separate flying training events with allies to demonstrate the countries' shared commitment to the collective security of NATO and the enduring peace and

  • Motivated by education, opportunity: Airman finds second home with AF

    Many words are used to describe the United States; some call it the land of plenty, freedom or equality, but at least one Airman regards it as the land of opportunity.Airman 1st Class Bin Ma, a 20th Comptroller Squadron financial services technician, departed Wuhan, China, in 2008 to start his

  • RPAs prove vital in fight against ISIL

    From August 2014 to August 2015, the 432nd Wing has directly supported Operation Inherent Resolve, a U.S. Central Command and partner nation's campaign to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the

  • 25 years on the hunt

    The 55th Wing's personnel and its RC-135V/W Rivet Joint hit 25 years of continuous deployment to U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility Aug. 9. What started out as a single-ship response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990, has now turned into what is believed to be the longest

  • SecAF gains perspective of Beale's ISR mission

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited Beale Air Force Base to get an up-close view of the high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission Aug. 10-12.

  • Flying high: Strike Eagle pilot reaches elite milestone

    For F-15E Strike Eagle aircrew at the 4th Fighter Wing, flying through the skies is a part of their lifestyle. However, for Lt. Col. Paul Hibbard, a 333rd Fighter Squadron instructor pilot, the clouds are almost like a second home.

  • Eye in the sky, RPA Airmen in the Red Flag fight

    The sun beats down on the dry Nevada desert, bringing a smell of fuel that fills the air. Engines begin roaring to life as the Airmen of the 432nd Wing prepare to support Red Flag 15-3 from July 13-31.

  • Exercise tests, demonstrates new DOD capabilities

    As a C-17 Globemaster III flown by the Air National Guard slowly made its way down the Offutt Air Force Base flightline July 23, ambulances from the Omaha Fire and Rescue Department along with other local emergency response vehicles waited just outside an aircraft parking ramp.This was all part of

  • Blood brothers

    Airman 1st Class Saul Vasquez, from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, tore his radial artery during a misstep while performing maintenance on an F-15E Strike Eagle April 2, 2015. Thanks to the quick response of his co-workers providing self-aid and buddy care, they were able to keep Vasquez alive

  • Seymour Johnson Airman shines at inter-nation championship

    Her journey was full of unknowns. She was thousands of miles from home and in a very unfamiliar land. As foreign as she felt, there was one 7-foot wide circle that made her feel right at home.For Airman 1st Class Jessica Johnson, a 4th Aerospace Medicine Squadron public health technician, it was the

  • Snipers hone skills during Royal Air Force training

    As his mind wandered to his hunger and lack of sleep, the sniper turned his thoughts back to the mission at hand. Staff Sgt. Joseph Crotty, the 822d Base Defense Squadron NCO in charge of standards and evaluations, would have to stay focused to get through this training.

  • Mental health: To go or not to go

    The clinic buildings themselves aren't scary, but add the words ‘mental health,’ and most people will avoid them like they contain tigers on the loose. That's why the 432nd Wing Human Performance Team was stood up -- to alleviate that stigma, provide help and have easily accessible trained mental

  • Human performance team helps RPA Airmen combat stress

    As the persistent demand for remotely piloted aircraft support increases, the burden on the Airmen who fly, maintain and support these operations also increases, often leaving some people to question their abilities to continue in this stressful job.

  • Drilling activity for Honduras water well underway

    The 823rd Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron continued drilling activity for a water well July 7 in Honduras. The well is one of multiple projects taking place here as part of New Horizons, an annual humanitarian assistance exercise.

  • Weapon systems officer makes history at USAF Weapons School

    Capt. Kari Armstrong, an F-15E Strike Eagle weapon systems officer with the 389th Fighter Squadron, received more than a diploma from the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 27. Armstrong also became the first female F-15E weapons system officer and the second female

  • Latest issue of Airman magazine now available

    In this issue of Airman magazine, you’ll meet Airmen who are assigned to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, who have a vastly different deployment experience than most others in the Air Force, where they operate from Creech AFB and come home to their families at the end of their shift. They’re

  • Airman improves intelligence career field through innovations

    Tech. Sgt. Kevin from Creech Air Force Base, Neveda, has been an innovator for the intelligence career field with for the past decade. One of his creations, called the Squadron Intelligence Reconnaissance Interface, codenamed SIRI, is an application used by remotely piloted aircraft crew members to

  • New acquisition process awards contracts in weeks

    A new government open architecture acquisition process that can award contracts in weeks instead of years was tested at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, June 8-11. The process, called PlugFest, is an interactive industry event where companies get to “plug-in” to a given open system architecture

  • Frankenphone: Creech Airman improves RPA communications

    n a crowded room of remotely piloted aircraft sensor operators, it would be easy to overlook him, yet his accomplishments scream for attention. His peers have labeled him a 'jack-of-all-trades' and after getting past his quiet first impression, it's easy to see why.

  • Luke's 56th Fighter Wing has new mission

    Luke Air Force Base's 56th Fighter Wing conducted a change of mission ceremony May 21, formally including the F-35 Lightning II as part of the wing's new mission statement.

  • Airman turns career around after confinement

    Boxed in by cold white bricks and murky blue floors with nothing but a rickety desk separating his twin-size bed from a closet full of rank-less uniforms, in October 2007, Airman Basic Council Jones hit the lowest point of his life.

  • Luke commander brings home flagship F-35

    The 56th Fighter Wing flagship F-35 Lightning II arrived at Luke Air Force Base April 28, it was the base's 22nd F-35. Flying the aircraft from Lockheed Martin's Forth Worth, Texas, plant to Arizona was Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, the 56th FW commander.

  • Building a bond like no other

    Walking through the 366th Security Forces Squadron dog kennel, barking erupts from all directions. Staff Sgt. Benjamin Vanney makes his way to his new military working dog, Rony. He smiles at the sight of Rony jumping around in excitement, ready for a new day of training. Having only been together

  • AF realigns B-1, LRS-B under Air Force Global Strike Command

    The Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force have directed the realignment of the Air Force’s B-1 bomber fleets and Long Range Strike-Bomber program from Air Combat Command to Air Force Global Strike Command, effective Oct. 1.

  • Gunfighter Flag 15-2: Bringing deployments home

    Airmen from the 366th Fighter Wing and the 266th Range Squadron teamed up with Sailors, Marines and Army National Guardsmen for combat training scenarios during Gunfighter Flag 15-2 at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

  • Darkest before dawn

    He can’t recall the details of that fateful afternoon, but Phillip Sisneros, known by most as just “Phil,” was riding his motorcycle in Las Vegas, on his way home from celebrating a coworker’s promotion the night before -- when his life was turned upside down.