A US Air Force C-17 flew 110 Iraqi children and 97 parents and guardians from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad, Iraq, to support Operation Smile—an international non-governmental organization that helps provide corrective surgery for cleft palate and cleft lip birth defects. Leaders of Operation Smile contacted DOD to request assistance to provide safe airlift for Iraqi patients and their parents. Many of the kids had never been in an aircraft before, much less a C-17. “You see all the children with the smiles on their faces. I’m glad to be a part of this,” said Lt. Col. Chris Carlsen, the aircraft’s commander.
F-35 Dropped Inert Nukes in Flight Tests
Nov. 18, 2025
An Air Force F-35A successfully carried and dropped inert B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs in flight tests in August, a rare disclosure about the state of U.S. nuclear testing.
