Daily Report

Sept. 21, 2009

Airman Dies in SWA

The Pentagon announced Sept. 21 that SrA. Matthew R. Courtois, 22, of Lucas, Tex., died Sept. 20 in a non-hostile incident on Abdullah Al Mubarak Air Base in Kuwait. He had deployed from the 366th Security Forces Squadron at Mountain...

Working Hard

North Dakota’s governor, Congressional delegation, and other state officials met with top Air Force leaders on Sept. 17 to press the case for the Air National Guard’s 119th Wing to get more aircraft—additional new cargo planes and more advanced remotely...

Handshake

: According to a Sept. 18 report by KRQE-TV in Albuquerque, N.M., the agreement New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced Sept. 17 between the Air Force and Air National Guard that would make the New Mexico Air Guard’s 150th Fighter...

SBIRS Passes Another Milestone

The Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles reports that the first geosynchronous Space Based Infrared Systems satellite had completed the open-door space vehicle thermal vacuum test, marking “an important confidence-builder for the more rigorous testing” the GEO-1 will...

Strike Eagles Train With Estonians

The 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath in Britain dispatched several of its F-15E Strike Eagles to participate in Baltic Region Training Event IV Alpha where they worked with Estonian Forward Air Controllers, who will soon deploy to Afghanistan. Lt....

Reaper Versus Jolly Roger

The US Navy plans to operate a small contingent of unarmed MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Vehicles from the Seychelles islands in the western Indian Ocean to help patrol for pirates threatening sea commerce off of the coast of Africa. This...

No Airfield, No Problem

Airmen of the 809th Expeditionary RED HORSE are changing bare-bones Forward Operating Base Dwyer in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province into a hub for increased combat operations and medical evacuations. RED HORSE members “have run a six-month marathon to get construction...

Pack It, Ship It

A team of 11 airmen of the 1st Expeditionary RED HORSE Group deployed to Southwest Asia since April have put together pallets and shipped more than 2.6 million tons of cargo and equipment to 10 forward operation locations to aid...

Holloman Hosts Critical Multi-service Testing

A bevy of Army, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft used Holloman AFB, N.M., as home base during four days of testing countermeasures to fend off a new threat in Afghanistan operations—attacks on helicopters from above with heat-seeking missiles. The Holloman...

Air Sorties in SWA

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Sept. 16, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 25 30 55 11,518 CAS/Armed Recon 6 63 69 25,056 Airlift 135 135 34,225 Air refueling 53 53 12,325 Total 312 83,124 OIF=Operation Iraqi...