Airmen and F-16s of the 23rd Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany, have taken over NATO’s air policing mission for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, replacing German Fighter Wing 71. NATO units have been providing routine air defense—on three-month rotations—for the three Baltic states, since Lithuania joined the alliance in March 2004. Poland will replace the Spang unit in January.
The Air Force has picked Northrop Grumman over L3Harris and Lockheed Martin to develop and build the Stand-in Attack Weapon, meant to swiftly destroy enemy air defense sites and other high-value targets.