Air Combat Command’s Distributed Mission Operations Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M., has one of the hottest actions around in its Virtual Flag exercises, says DMOC officials. The number of participants is growing each years, and for the 2006 version, as many as 75 percent of participants never had to leave their home stations, says DMOC’s Lt. Col. Gordon Phillips. He believes that one real benefit of Virtual Flag over real-world exercises like Red Flag is that in the virtual world exercise officials can modify the intensity of the training or even freeze the action as needed. For instance, Phillips says, during Red Flag an E-3 AWACS might control 30 aircraft, while in Virtual Flag the same command and control aircraft would cover 300 aircraft at one time. (Also see DR, 11/11/05.)
Work Has Begun to Adapt Qatari 747 to Fly as Air Force One
Sept. 15, 2025
The Air Force has started modifying a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for "executive airlift," a spokesperson said Sept. 15. President Donald Trump has said he wants to fly the jet as “Air Force One” since new presidential transports, held up by delays, won't be ready until after his term…
