June 19, 1918

June 19, 1918
Royal Air Force Capt. William “Billy” Bishop, flying an S.E.5a, records his seventy-second and final aerial victory, shooting down a German LVG two-seat observation aircraft over Neuve Egilse, France. Captain Bishop, a Canadian flying with the newly formed Royal Air Force, is the leading Canadian ace of all time.

Related Content

PHOTOS: Airmen, F-22s Scatter to Austere ‘Spokes’ for Pacific Exercise

April 29, 2024
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different locations from April 10-16, training…

Nearly Every Governor Opposes Guard Units Moving into the Space Force

April 29, 2024
Governors from nearly every U.S. state and territory signed a letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on April 29, asking him to withdraw an Air Force proposal to transfer Air National Guard units to the Space Force. While the letter does not endorse the creation of a separate…

Air Force Awards $13 Billion Contract for New ‘Doomsday’ Planes

April 28, 2024
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…

RTX Exits the Space Prime Business, Won’t Make SDA Satellites

April 26, 2024
RTX, parent of Raytheon, Collins and Pratt & Whitney, is getting out of the space prime business and focusing on its "strengths" as a maker of space sensors, buses, and components, company COO Chris Calio said during an earnings call.

F-15Es and A-10s Join Red Flag-Like Exercise on Arabian Peninsula

April 26, 2024
F-15E fighters from the 335th Fighter Squadron of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., arrived in the Arabian Peninsula last week for a multilateral exercise hosted by the United Arab Emirates. Alongside the Strike Eagles, A-10s from the Maryland Air National Guard are also participating in this year's Desert Flag…

New Report: Engine Problems Led to MQ-9 Crash in Africa Last Year

April 26, 2024
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 suffered an engine failure flying over Africa in May 2023, forcing the drone’s pilot to down it in the ocean where it was not recovered, according to a new Air Force report. The cost of the mishap was more than $21 million. 

Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2

April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.