Coming this July to McChord AFB, Wash., are more than 55 US and international teams ready to tackle Air Mobility Command’s Rodeo 2007 competition. Joining 41 USAF teams will be three from the Marine Corps and one from the Coast Guard and teams from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Netherlands, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. Observers are coming from another 19 foreign countries. The last Rodeo, which features airdrop, air refueling, and events demonstrating security forces, aerial port, maintenance, and aeromedical evacuation capabilities, was held in 2005.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.