F-22s Reach Small Milestone

At the just-concluded Combat Hammer exercise at the Utah Test and Training Range, F-22s from JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, became the first operational Raptors to drop GBU-39 small diameter bombs, announced base officials. “The employment of the GBU-39s was very successful,”...

Air Force Week Hits the Big Apple

Air Force Week comes to New York City, with multiple activities scheduled across the city’s five boroughs from Aug. 18 to Aug. 21 to celebrate and showcase the service. The events will allow the public to meet airmen up close...

Engine Malfunction Doomed F-16

Engine failure and a subsequent engine stall caused the crash of an F-16 fighter northeast of Kunsan AB, South Korea, on March 21, announced Pacific Air Forces officials on Aug. 16. They cited the findings of the newly released report from the command's accident investigation board. The investigators determined that the fighter's engine malfunctioned following the liberation of two fifth-stage compressor blades due to higher than normal high-cycle and vibration-induced fatigue, states the report's executive summary. The pilot's actions to recover the engine were "focused, precise, and appropriate," but the engine continued to degrade, states the summary. The pilot ejected safely and sustained no injuries. However, the F-16, tail number 90-0771, was lost at a cost of $21.6 million. The Air Force had to spend another $187,419 on the environmental cleanup. The F-16 was assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base. It was on a routine training mission when the mishap occurred. (AIB report; caution, large-sized file.)

Bambi-Bucket Brigade

HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters from the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Federal Airfield last week began dropping water on wildfires outside Bakersfield in southern California. “This is a great example of the use of airpower...

In Any Language, Count to Four after Jumping

One hundred fifty paratroopers from six countries poured forth from a pair of C-130Js and a C-17 over Germany during international jump week, an annual event hosted by the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base. “We practiced jumps into...

Raptors in Savannah

F-22s from JB Langley-Eustis, Va., recently relocated to the Georgia Air National Guard’s Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah to continue training during runway renovations at Langley. Workers began a $2.2 million project “focused on replacing the worst runway slabs,...

Airmen Exchange Ideas with Hondurans

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., are in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for the second time this year to help their Honduran counterparts build their skills. “I’m glad we have this opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences....

Interactive Eagle’s Eye

The Air Force awarded Ostendo Technologies of Carlsbad, Calif., a $58.3 million contract to build a prototype “synthetic-holographic 3-D workstation.” The period of performance for this contract runs through October 2016, according to the award notice, which is included in...

Lockheed Martin Celebrates Heritage

Lockheed Martin on Aug. 16 commemorated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Glenn L. Martin Company. Martin, a barnstorming aviator and entrepreneur, was just 26 years old when he established the company on Aug. 16, 1912, in Los...