The World Trade Organization on Friday turned over—to US and European diplomats—its decision in a five-year-old case that pitted French-based Airbus against US-based Boeing and spilled over into the US Air Force's KC-X tanker program. The US had complained that European governments provided subsidies to Airbus, giving it an unfair advantage in the world aviation market, and, according to US Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the WTO has agreed. In a Sept. 4 statement, Dicks said, "The ruling is encouraging, noting that all Airbus aircraft have received illegal subsidies and that these have caused material harm to Boeing." Continue

The Air Force re-activated the 69th Bomb Squadron as its newest operational B-52H bomber unit during a ceremony Thursday at Minot AFB, N.D. North Dakota Governor John Hoeven (R) and Maj. Gen. Floyd Carpenter, commander of 8th Air Force, the...

Air Forces Central has begun operations at the newly constructed combined air and space operations center in Southwest Asia. Air Force officials have said this new CAOC, which is located at the same air base in the region as the...

Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle assumed command of 13th Air Force Wednesday during a change-of-command ceremony at its headquarters at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Gen. Gary North, Pacific Air Forces boss, presided over the ceremony. “Gen. Carlisle’s breadth and depth of experience...

In the midst of a pitched battle of survival, General Electric and Rolls-Royce have reportedly made an unsolicited offer to provide the Defense Department with about 100 F136 engines for the F-35 stealth fighter at a fixed price. Reuters news...

Pacific Air Forces’ new humanitarian assistance rapid response team (HAART) arrived Wednesday on the Micronesian island state of Chuuk for a five-day validation exercise. The team is built around elements of the 36th Medical Group and 36th Contingency Response Group,...

The Air Force is mulling options to provide Iraq with F-16 fighters to protect its airspace by the time of the planned US pullout in 2011. Reuters news wire service reported Wednesday that scenarios, including new-build aircraft and excess-inventory USAF...

The third and final Air Force Week of 2009 starts Saturday in Sacramento, Calif., and runs through Sept. 13 and nearby locations including Travis Air Force Base. The festivities kick off Sept. 5 with a five-mile run and the first...

Aug. 31, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 28 29 57 10,575 CAS/Armed Recon 26 82 108 23,417 Airlift 147 147 31,998 Air refueling 61 61 11,458 Total 373 77,448 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...