NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan directed a precision airstrike against an isolated Taliban compound between Musa Qala and Kajaki that destroyed one building, killing “a confirmed extremist leader and several of his associates.” A US Central Command Air...

Two House committees may be at odds over USAF plans to include purchase of two F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in the 2007 supplemental war funding request. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), chairman of the House Armed Services air and land forces...

Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, USAF personnel chief, told the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee Thursday afternoon that “budgetary pressures” had forced the Air Force into trading personnel for aircraft recapitalization. It was not news to anyone, but the Air...

The Air Force’s top personnel officer told lawmakers Thursday that although the service plans to “reassess” where it ends up in terms of end strength, “we’re not asking for a change in the cycle.” Appearing before the House Armed Services...

The Air Force’s C-130 Hercules fleet flew more than 23,500 hours above—yes, above—the tactical airlifter’s programmed flying hours. And, that, Gen. Michael Moseley told lawmakers Monday, is why “we are wearing them out.” The Air Force Chief of Staff also...

Lawmakers elicited an admission from Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne that he “actually fought” to sustain an alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter when he was head of acquisition in 2006. By 2007, the Navy wanted to drop...

Air Force leaders told lawmakers that the outcome of the past Mobility Capabilities Studies would have called for more C-17s had the service not been forced to sustain costly and less effective older model C-5s. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne...

Among those very old—and costly—aircraft the Air Force wants to retire are some 100 KC-135E tankers. (See above.) Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told lawmakers Monday at a House Appropriations defense panel hearing that there are 109 E model tankers...

When asked about NSPS, Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, USAF’s personnel chief, said he thinks it’s going very well. Brady testified before a House panel Thursday, saying Air Force officials are “enthusiastic” about the National Security Personnel System. He went on,...

F-22A Raptors from the 94th Fighter Squadron at Langley AFB, Va., have been consorting with other US aircraft and coalition air in their first appearance at the Nellis AFB, Nev., Red Flag that ends today. The 94th FS deployed 14...

The 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron’s MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle’s state-of-the-art reconnaissance cameras constantly keep watch over the terrain surrounding Balad AB, Iraq, looking for suspicious activities. The Predator can spot the origin of a mortar attack and pass the...

The US Air Force and Peruvian Air Force have just completed their first joint combat search and rescue exercise—finding and rescuing Peruvian and US pilots “stranded” in the middle of a deserted region of northern Peru. A Puerto Rican Air...

Airmen with the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s petroleum, oil, and lubricant flight at Balad AB, Iraq, have set a record for the highest number of gallons of fuel issued in a single month over the last three years: 3.6...

Latin American drug traffickers no longer have unfettered access to aviation routes for funneling illegal drugs into the United States, thanks in part to 14 Air National Guardsmen participating in a bilateral drug-fighting program with the Colombian military. Operating out...

Feb. 13, 2007 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 11 9 20 CAS/Armed Recon 48 30 78 Airlift 130 130 Air refueling 35 35 Total 59 39 165 263 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance