Airmen of Air Force Reserve Command’s 87th Aerial Port Squadron at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are handling aerial port operations at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, over a two-week deployment in a “port takeover,” according to TSgt. April Martinez, the Reserve coordinator with Hickam’s 735th Air Mobility Squadron. Journalist TSgt. Chris Vadnais reports that the 735th AMS every two weeks over the course of a year hosts a different unit of about 35 Reserve airmen who integrate with the 735th. Then, once each year a complement of 150 Reservists deploys to conduct a full port takeover. Such deployments give the Reservists an opportunity to work at a highly active airfield that processes a lot of passengers.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.