T
he Air Force last week reprised—after a fashion—a 1938 event that reshaped airpower. Three B-52 bombers on Aug. 24 flew approximately 1,600 miles to intercept a ship—the US Navy’s 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, a maritime prepositioning ship, much like the 1938 flight of a B-17 that intercepted the Rex, an Italian steamship. The present-day mission was designed with the same purpose in mind—to showcase the versatility and strike capabilities of the Air Force over any terrain. (Read more in this first-hand account by Air Force Magazine’s Adam Hebert.)
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
