The Pentagon on Dec. 26 released the name of SrA. Nicholas D. Eischen, who died in a noncombat related incident on Dec. 24 at Bagram Air Base. Eischen, 24, of Sanger, Calif., was deployed from the 60th Medical Operations Squadron...

Flying from Andersen AFB, Guam, to Alaska as one of two B-2 bombers on a global power sortie, one B-2 got new orders in the air, directing it to new target coordinates in Hawaii. It was the first such electronic...

Air Force and contractor space personnel at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., launched a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket on Dec. 20, successfully boosting a new Global Positioning System satellite into orbit. It is the fifth GPS IIR-M satellites launched...

Air Force Reserve Command’s 927th Air Refueling Wing at Selfridge ANGB, Mich., last week began the formal transfer of its KC-135s to the Air National Guard’s 127th Wing, also at Selfridge. The Detroit News reports that the two reserve components...

Maj. Bob Battema with the 522nd Fighter Squadron flew the unit’s last F-16 Viper flight at Cannon AFB, N.M., on Dec. 21, preceding the formal inactivation of the squadron, reports the Clovis News-Journal. Cannon formally became an Air Force Special...

The final three A-10 Warthogs left Pope AFB, N.C. last week, making the flight to their new home at Moody AFB, Ga. The Hog transfer started last summer and the 23rd Fighter Group at Moody began flying the first of...

MSgt. Anthony Roy, an instructor flight engineer with the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., flew his 200th combat sortie recently during deployment to Southwest Asia, amassing 1,500 combat flying hours. Roy crosstrained from aircraft maintenance six years...

The Air Force has awarded a Silver Star medal, the third highest award for valor, to TSgt. Scott Innis, a combat controller with the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, an Air Force Special Operations Command unit at McChord AFB, Wash., for...

Believe it or not, weapons specialists at Whiteman AFB, Mo., have managed to fit a mock-up of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator—a 30,000-pound class weapon yet to enter production—in a mock-up of the B-2 bomber. Northrop Grumman got a contract last...

The Air Force has awarded a second Bronze Star medal to SMSgt. Ken Pettibone, an explosive ordnance disposal technician at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, for his actions while deployed for more than a year to Iraq—his fifth deployment to Southwest Asia....

Capt. Justin Snider with the 13th Intelligence Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif., received the Dutch Peacekeeping Medal for his support to the war on terror while he worked under Dutch command at Regional Command South, Kandahar AB, Afghanistan. Among his...

The Senate on Dec. 19 confirmed the nomination of Lt. Gen. Roger Brady to receive a fourth star and take command of US Air Forces in Europe. Gen. Tom Hobbins already has relinquished command at USAFE. The Senate also confirmed...

Dec. 20-23, 2007 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 94 30 124 CAS/Armed Recon 229 146 375 Airlift 534 534 Air refueling 168 168 Total 323 176 702 1,201 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance Airlift includes Horn...