Hueys in Force

May 23, 2011

All four of the UH-1N Huey helicopters assigned to Yokota Air Base, near Tokyo, last week took to the skies together for a formation flight—something that hasn’t happened there in nine years. “For Yokota, this was an opportunity for the base to see all four aircraft in-flight together [for the first time] since 2002, and also a chance for some of the newest aircrew members to experience how the Air Force’s wingman culture translates to formation flight,” stated a base official. The 42-year-old helicopters, belonging to the 459th Airlift Squadron, headed southwest toward Mt. Fuji during their four-ship flight on May 19. (Yokota photo caption by SrA. Andrea Salazar)

Related Content

Hegseth Orders 20% Cut in 4-Star Generals and Admirals, Seeks Overhaul of Commands

May 5, 2025
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is directing the Pentagon to slash the number of senior generals and admirals, he announced May 5—at least 20 percent of four-star positions would be eliminated under the move. Hegseth also said he is directing a sweeping review of U.S. military commands and staffs, signaling…

DOD Shows It Can Reuse Hypersonic Testbed, Setting Up Faster Testing

May 5, 2025
The Stratolaunch Talon-A2 hypersonic vehicle flew a second time in March, after a first flight in December, making it the first re-usable hypersonic test craft since the X-15, the Pentagon announced May 5. The craft is expected to increase the pace of hypersonic testing and experimentation.

Meeting the Software Challenge: Acquisition Reform Brings Its Own Complications

May 5, 2025
The new rules for buying software made mandatory by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s March 6 memo are designed to strip away constraints on how the DOD and the military services contract with private sector companies, so that they can buy, integrate, and deploy innovative capabilities more quickly. But critics warn…

Air Force May Restructure Boot Camp to Cut Classroom Instruction, Add More PT

May 5, 2025
Beginning in the fall, 2nd Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Wolfe Davidson plans to introduce a new curriculum for Basic Military Training that will focus on training Airmen and Space Force Guardians in much smaller groups, while replacing some classroom instruction with a more hands-on learning approach.

US Air Force Taps Boneyard Jets to Keep Ukraine’s F-16s Flying

May 3, 2025
The U.S. has approved a $310.5 million Foreign Military Sale to provide Ukraine with maintenance and training for its F-16 fighter jets, the State Department announced May 2. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force has been sending retired F-16s to Ukraine to be used for spare parts.

RAF Unveils Its Own Plan for New Drones to Fly Alongside Fighters

May 2, 2025
The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force has unveiled a new electronic warfare drone designed to fly with fighter jets into contested airspace, including alongside its fleet of F-35s. RAF says it plans to develop models that draw on the U.S. Air Force’s approach of mating unmanned systems with crewed platforms.