USAF’s Andersen AFB, Guam, will generate 80 aircraft, including B-2 and B-52 bombers; F-15C, F-15E, and F-16CJ fighters; E-3 AWACS command and control aircraft; and KC-10 and KC-135 tankers, to conduct sorties for a variety of simulated events as part of Valiant Shield 2006. Another nearly 200 will fly off the USS Kitty Hawk, USS Ronald Reagan, and USS Abraham Lincoln. USAF Lt. Col. Colin Wright says his 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron will lead the F-15 force as they perform maritime interdiction, which he calls “an emerging skill set for F-15Es.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
