Word among Air National Guard airmen at Lambert Field, in St. Louis is that the 131st Fighter Wing will be heading to Israel soon to exercise its F-15s with the Israeli Air Force. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on the rumored exercise, cautioning that there is no official word on any planned deployment. A US European Command spokesman tells the paper that exercises between the two countries (initiated under President Ronald Reagan) are designed to “increase interoperability and understanding.”
The design of the launch facilities for the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are likely to undergo major revision, posing yet another challenge for the much-delayed and over-budget program to modernize the land-based component of America’s nuclear triad, officials said.