U.S. AIR FORCE NEWS

  • Predator reaches milestone

    The Air Force's RQ-1A Predator unmanned aerial vehicle achieved 50,000 flight hours during an operational sortie Oct. 26 at a forward-deployment location supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Production of the next generation of Predators, dubbed the Predator B (MQ-9), begins soon. Predator B

  • A 'boo-tiful' tent

    Senior Airman Hypatia Johnson (left) and Staff Sgt. Kristi Lawrence make their way through spider webbing to view the rest of a haunted "tent" at a forward-deployed location Halloween night. The tent mates from the 380th Expeditionary Communication Squadron decked their sleeping facility out in

  • Beauty and the buff

    Senior Master Sgt. Mark Bernard polishes the C-135E Speckled Trout aircraft before it departs from here Oct. 25 on an executive airlift mission to the Pacific. The white-and-silver Speckled Trout is used primarily for avionics flight testing, but its secondary mission is transporting Air Force

  • Air Force teams competing in firefighting championship

    About 56 Air Force firefighters from nine bases are here Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 for anything but a vacation. The firefighters are participating in the 11th annual Firefighter Combat Challenge world championship, billed as "the toughest two minutes in sports.""By the time they get to the finish line most

  • Toil the soil

    Master Sgt. Robert Nightingale separates sieves of soil for weighing to ensure the proper percentage of material in each sieve meets construction specifications at a forward-deployed location. Nightingale, deployed from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., is assigned to the 819/219th Expeditionary Red

  • Weather flight keeps 'em flying

    There may be rain today and heat tomorrow, or snow today and dusty winds tomorrow. These are some of the conditions the nine-member Air Force weather flight must contend with at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.Everyone needs to know what the weather is going to do, from the A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots

  • Officials release Predator accident report

    Air Force investigators have determined that human error caused an Air Force RQ-1 Predator aircraft crash May 17 near a forward-operating location supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.According to an Air Combat Command accident investigation report released Oct. 30, the incorrect assembly of the

  • Coalition aircraft drop munitions on Iraq

    Coalition aircraft enforcing the northern no-fly zone over Iraq dropped precision-guided munitions Oct. 30 on elements of Saddam Hussein's air defense system.The coalition aircraft attacked after Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery fired on them. All coalition aircraft returned to base safely.Combined

  • Eagles and sparrows

    Capt. Andy Hamann (foreground) and Capt. Brian Swyt of the 95th Fighter Squadron simultaneously fire AIM-7 Sparrow missiles at a target drone during a recent air-to-air-weapons evaluation flight over the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mike Ammons)

  • Feed the falcon

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot takes on fuel from a 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-10 Extender. The squadron is assigned to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia supporting operations Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom. The 908th EARS is