Asked for a comment from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on the new investigation into the Air Force’s Thunderbirds Airshow Production Services affair by the DOD Inspector General’s office, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said May 7 that the confidence Gates has in the Air Force leadership “remains unchanged.” Morrell then added, “However, he is waiting to hear the results of a couple of outstanding investigations involving them.” Morrell did not elaborate on the other investigations.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.