Alert F-15Cs scrambled to intercept a US-bound commercial flight from Paris as a precautionary measure on Monday, following an anonymous tip warning of chemical weapons aboard the aircraft, New York’s WABC News reported. “Out of an abundance of caution, Air France flight number 22 was escorted to John F. Kennedy airport by US Air Force fighter jets following a phone threat,” according to an FBI statement quoted in the May 25 press report. “There were no incidents or hazards reported on board the flight by either the passengers or its crew,” according to the FBI. Several other aircraft also were flagged on Monday, though no hazardous materials were found. The pair of Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing jets from Barnes ANGB, Mass., escorted the Air France Airbus A330 to a safe landing on May 25, local Mass Live reported.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.