U.S. AIR FORCE NEWS

  • Officials begin to clear F-15Es to full-mission status

    Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft are now undergoing a safety inspection that will return them to flying status according to an order issued Nov. 11 by Gen. John Corley, the commander of Air Combat Command. Each of the 224 E-model aircraft require the completion of a 13-hour time-compliance

  • Pilots focus on air superiority, operations during Keen Sword

    Honing their skills against enemy air threats over the skies of Japan, Misawa fighter pilots participate in a two-week long training exercise here. Exercise Keen Sword, which began Nov. 6, is a  joint and bilateral exercise simulating the defense of Japan using more than 60 military units from 24

  • 44-year-old C-130 flies final combat mission, ends service

    After 44 years of service and more than 29,500 flying hours, a C-130 Hercules flew its final combat mission Nov. 13 from Southwest Asia and will next be heading to the boneyard. Aircraft 63-7865 from the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and currently assigned to the 386th Air

  • Laser paint removal lessens production time, health hazards

    Six months ago, the process to remove paint from an aircraft part took four or five hours. Today, the use of lasers is accomplishing the job in 20 minutes. The 566th Aircraft Maintenance Group's Disassembly and Cleaning Unit can "nitpick" an aircraft part of its paint in that reduced amount of time

  • AFRICOM helps partners confront stability challenges

    The U.S. military's unified command responsible for operations across Africa will help nations there confront poverty, disease, terrorism and other challenges that affect regional security and stability, U.S. officials said here Nov. 14.However, U.S. Africa Command-sponsored initiatives will

  • Basketball: Air Force tops Western State, 73-49

    Andrew Henke scored 15 points and Keith Maren added a career-high 14 points Nov. 14 to lead the U.S. Air Force Academy men's basketball team to a 73-49 victory over Western State College at Clune Arena here. The Falcons improved to 3-0 for the second consecutive season and won its 37th consecutive

  • Personnel center to deployers: Don't leave without guide

    Most Air Force members being deployed to a foreign country have little knowledge of the culture they'll work in for the next four to 12 months. They don't know a Hijab from an Abaya or a Dishdasha from a Gutra. How many times a day can you say hello to someone in Kyrgystan? Why can't you eat with

  • U.S., Australia share new communications satellites

    Representatives from the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force met at the Australian Embassy here to sign a memorandum of agreement that will provide both nations assured access to the Wideband Global SATCOM system, expanding the WGS constellation to six satellites. The expansion will

  • Head of Propulsion Directorate earns DOD honor

    The director of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Propulsion Directorate has earned the highest honor given by the Secretary of Defense to career civilian personnel. Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England presented the Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award to Dr. William U. Borger

  • Kirkuk airspace returned to Iraqi control

    Untied States Central Command Air Forces officials transferred control of Kirkuk air traffic control assigned airspace to the Baghdad Air Control Center Nov. 15. Under the U.S. CENTAF Airspace Transition Concept, airspace above 29,000 feet was transferred back to Iraq sovereign control. The Baghdad