The Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, 24 NATO countries, three non-NATO countries, and a commercial aerial tanking vendor have all adopted a common set of procedures for aerial refueling. An Air Mobility Command release calls the development of the NATO Allied Tactical Publication-56(B) a “significant milestone” in military interoperability. ATP-56(B) replaces 17 separate weapon system-specific manuals. According to AMC, the new document came just in time to speed coordination for Operation Achilles in Afghanistan, enabling participation by French Air Force and Navy Rafael strike fighters.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…