The Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad AB, Iraq, over the past four months has admitted some 1,500 patients, performed 2,500 surgeries, and evacuated more than 2,000 stabilized patients to American military medical facilities in Europe and the US, according to the Red Tail Flyer. The record shows that if a wounded troop makes it to the hospital, the troop has at least a 96 percent chance for survival. (Read the article here.)
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.