Hawaii Air National Guardsmen in seven F-15s fired AIM-7 Sparrow missiles at drones while flying over the Pacific Missile Range Facility off the coast of Kauai, as part of the 2006 Rim of the Pacific exercise. The airmen said that normally they must travel to Tyndall AFB, Fla., to get live-fire practice, but even there the missiles contain telemetry equipment rather than explosives. The opportunity was a win-win. “We had the option to either destroy or shoot 14 missiles,” explained Maj. John Traettino, a pilot with ANG’s 199th Fighter Squadron, and added, “It’s actually less expensive to shoot the missiles.” RIMPAC 2006 features airmen and sailors from seven Pacific Rim nations and the United Kingdom.
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.