Gen. Tom Hobbins, head of US Air Forces in Europe, and an Air Force cohort are in central Russia, where they will receive facility tours and see various Russian aircraft, reports the Russian news service RIA Novosti. Hobbins plans to meet with Russian Air Force officials during the four-day visit and may get to fly on a Su-27 Flanker or MiG-29 Fulcrum.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…