Operations stop Friday at Rhein-Main AB, Germany, as US strategic airlift missions shift to Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Bases. Military flights ended Monday at Rhein-Main. Nicknamed the “Gateway to Europe,” the base played a central role in the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift and served as USAF’s main air transport hub during four decades of the Cold War. USAF plans an official closing ceremony for Oct. 10.
The Air Force has begun flying its CV-22 Ospreys again. But that is just the start of a multi-step process to return the fleet to normal operations following a deadly crash last year, the service says.