Maj. Kevin H. Sonnenberg, 42, a pilot with the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo, was killed June 15 when his F-16 crashed north of Baghdad during a close air support mission, per official news sources. The Toledo Blade reports that Sonnenberg was due to return soon from deployment to Balad Air Base, along with other wing airmen. There was no immediate word as to the cause of the crash. USAF has an investigation underway.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…