According to a news release out of Tyndall AFB, Fla., Air Combat Command has directed a second stand-down of the F-15 fleet—this time, just the A, B, C, and D models. Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, head of 1st Air Force at Tyndall, said that the USAF F-15s supporting the Continental US NORAD Region have stood down, but various other aircraft, including F-16s, remain on alert, ready to launch, as necessary. Just last week, ACC boss, Gen. John Corley, had released the A-D model F-15s for flight, following individual aircraft inspections, even as he said the investigation into the cause of the Nov. 2 F-15C crash would continue. On Nov. 27, ACC’s work with the F-15 depot—Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia—revealed “possible fleet-wide airworthiness problems,” according to an ACC release. Metallurgical analysis of the mishap aircraft has revealed that metal rails that hold the fuselage of the aircraft together may have cracked or failed. That finding, coupled with manufacturer simulations that show potential for “catastrophic failure,” has led the ALC and accident board to recommend a more detailed inspection of the upper longerons near the canopy on each F-15.
Air Force Conducts Test Launch of Minuteman III ICBM
May 21, 2025
The Air Force tested an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif,. at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time May. 21. The successful test saw the missile equipped with a single reentry vehicle travel more than 4,200 miles to strike a test site near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall…