The last T-37 Tweet training sortie has been flown at Sheppard AFB, Tex., home to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program. The Air Force formally retired the Tweet from its specialized undergraduate pilot training program last spring, after SUPT bases transitioned to the new T-6 Texan II. The 80th Flying Training Wing, which runs the ENJJPT at Sheppard, conducted its last Tweet sortie on June 17. Col. David Petersen, wing commander, said of the T-37, “it’s been a good trainer for 50 years; right up to the end, it’s been a good aircraft.” The 80th FTW began training new pilots with the T-6 in August 2008. (Sheppard report by John Ingle)
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.