Back Home, More to Come

By Autumn A. Arnett
An Air Force X-37B orbital test vehicle returned to Earth after a 674-day classified mission in space. The reusable, unmanned spaceplane touched down at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on Oct. 17, announced the Air Force. The mission, dubbed OTV-3, was the...

Aerial Resupply for Besieged Kurds

By Marc V. Schanz
In the aftermath of stepped-up airstrikes on ISIS terrorists laying siege to the Syrian city of Kobani, Air Force airlifters conducted airdrops in the vicinity of the town to resupply Kurdish forces, announced US Central Command officials. The C-130 airdrops...

Tenth Air Force Command Change

Brig. Gen. Richard Scobee assumed command of 10th Air Force, one of Air Force Reserve Command’s three numbered air forces, during a ceremony at NAS Ft. Worth JRB, Texas. Scobee replaced Maj. Gen. William Binger, who led 10th AF since...

Squadron Leaves Hurlburt for Cannon

The 9th Special Operations Squadron transferred from Hurlburt Field, Fla., to Cannon AFB, N.M., as it prepares to retire its legacy MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft in exchange for new-build MC-130J Commando IIs. “It’s sad to see an aircraft retire, but...

STRATCOM Flexes Command and Control

US Strategic Command launched Global Thunder, its yearly full-scale nuclear command and control exercise, on Monday, announced command officials. “The United States’ ability to maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent is foundational to our national security and contributes...

One-Ring Circus

Workers at Misawa AB, Japan, began a year-long project to demolish the base’s “Elephant Cage” antenna that the Air Force used for gathering radio signals intelligence for nearly 50 years, announced base officials. “During its long life, the antenna played...

World War II Airmen’s Remains Identified

Defense Department forensic scientists identified the remains of three airmen missing in action since World War II, and officials are returning them to their families for burial with full military honors, announced the Pentagon. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William...

Think Tank Launches Defense Tech Initiative

The Center for a New American Security unveiled an initiative on Monday to explore how the US military can preserve its technological edge as it faces declining budgets for the foreseeable future. “The Beyond Offset project aims to build a...