The 12th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, will be sending a second pilot for the second year in a row to the Air Force Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Team. Second Lt. Erin Slaughter reports that USAF has selected Lt. Col. Gregory Thomas to fill the T-Birds No. 1 position for the 2008 and 2009 air show seasons. Thomas will command the Thunderbird’s 120-person squadron.
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.