Russian private contractors are continuing to build up their presence of fighter jets in Libya, raising concerns about long-term security impacts of this capability and short-term worries about the skills and professionalism of fighter pilots for hire. U.S. Africa Command on June 18 released new ...
Air
The Air Force is implementing a fighter pilot training plan that will regroup training phases and use new technologies to cut between a third and half off the time needed to transform a raw student pilot into a fighter flight lead, according to the new ...
NATO defense ministers on June 17 agreed on three measures aimed at countering Russia’s “extensive and growing arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles during the first of a two-day meeting held via secure teleconference due to the new coronavirus pandemic, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The ...
For the second time in a week, F-22 Raptors, supported by KC-135 Stratotankers and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, intercepted two formations of Russian aircraft off the coast of Alaska, North American Aerospace Defense Command announced. The Russian aircraft—Tu-95 bombers, Su-35 fighters, and ...
1st Lt. Kenneth Allen, the 493rd Fighter Squadron’s assistant chief of weapons and tactics, was killed in a June 15 F-15C crash over the North Sea, the 48th Fighter Wing announced June 16. Allen, a U.S. Air Force Academy alumnus who arrived at RAF Lakenheath, ...
U.S. Air Forces in Europe moved its contingent of MQ-9 Reapers northeast to Estonia, where they can keep a closer eye on neighboring Russia. The contractor-owned, contractor-operated MQ-9s, related personnel, and support equipment moved to Amari Air Base in Estonia from their regular home of ...
The Air Force sent groups of B-52s to the Pacific and Europe as bomber task force deployments within two days this week, prompting Russia to intercept one. On June 15, two B-52Hs from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., flew a ...
A 493rd Fighter Squadron pilot was killed when their F-15C crashed into the North Sea during a routine training mission on June 15, confirmed the commander of the 48th Fighter Wing. USAF has not released the Airman's name, pending next of kin notification.
Wreckage from an F-15C that crashed into the North Sea during a routine training mission early on June 15 has been recovered, but the search for the aircraft’s pilot—the only person aboard—continues, the 48th Fighter Wing announced on Twitter.