A C-130J Hercules and an F-15E Strike Eagle are representing the Air Force as airpower ambassadors at the Bahrain International Air Show this week at Sakhir AB, Bahrain. A B-1B Lancer and F-22 Raptor are slated for a fly-by in front of an estimated crowd of 55,000 international visitors. “We’re very happy to be here,” said C-130J pilot Capt. Brendon Duffy, deployed in-theater from the Rhode Island Air National Guard’s 143rd Airlift Wing, in an Air Forces Central Command release. “This event is just one way the United States and its allies and partners work together to promote security, stability, and mutual interests in the region,” according to AFCENT’s release. Roughly 150 joint-service personnel are representing the US in Bahrain, with additional Marine Corps fixed and rotary wing aircraft on static display as well. BIAS runs Jan. 16 to Jan. 18.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
