We learned an esoteric fact today about what happens to the remains of birds that have run afoul of a military aircraft—they go to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. According to the MacDill Thunderbolt, airmen at MacDill AFB, Fla., thoroughly check out any aircraft that has been struck by a bird and, as they do so, they bag the bird remains for shipment to Smithsonian experts. These bird experts then add the bird strike particulars—type of bird, time of year, frequency by species—to a database that tracks trends. The aim is to guide the Air Force in its bird strike avoidance practices.
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…
