A Texas B-1B Munition Sparked Range Fire: A training munition released by a B-1B bomber on the Melrose Bombing Range near Cannon AFB, N.M., on November 30, 2005, started a fire that eventually burned 26,000 acres of grazing and farmland, according to an Air Combat Command accident report released Tuesday. The bomber was on a training mission from Dyess AFB, Tex., when it released a dummy bomb with a spotting charge that sparked the fire. The report indicated that Cannon officials failed to recognize the level of fire danger at the time and implement reasonable safety measures.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.