Twenty-eight Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft from bases in the Pacific and about 700 personnel from the two services are preparing to participate in Exercise Cope Tiger 2008 in Thailand. The annual field training exercise kicks off on Jan. 26 and runs through Feb. 5. It takes place at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base near the city of Korat, northeast of Bangkok, and at Udon Royal Thai Air Force Base. Air Force A-10s, C-17s, C-130s, E-3 AWACS, and KC-135 tankers will fly in the exercise, as will Marine Corps KC-130 tankers and F/A-18C fighters. In addition to US and Royal Thai Air Force and Army elements, the Republic of Singapore Air Force is participating.
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…