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 Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.