The crews that fly, operate, and maintain USAF’s E-8C Joint STARS ground surveillance aircraft have reached a milestone 1,000 sorties for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Dec. 4 flight “wasn’t the longest, shortest, busiest, or slowest,” but it marked “another outstanding performance,” says Lt. Col. Timothy Manning, commander of the 16th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron, in the Desert Eagle. He said the credit goes to all three Joint STARS units from Robins AFB, Ga., that have taken turns flying missions over Iraq since 2003.
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
