The French Air Force completed three months of flying support and combat sorties for Operation Enduring Freedom and for the International Security assistance force in Afghanistan on Nov. 4, according to US Central Air Forces officials. The French flew more than 400 sorties, logging nearly 2,000 flying hours: 720 hours in the M-2000 Mirage, 550 hours in the F-1 Mirage, and 680 hours in the C-135 SR tanker. Lt. Col. Marc Bexombes, a French liaison officer at the Southwest Asia combined air operations center, called the effort a “wonderful experience,” one that “fortified the links between the French and US Air Forces.” If only our diplomats could say the same.
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
