About 40 Air National Guard members from the 185th Air Refueling Wing based in Sioux City, Iowa, deployed to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, in February to support the NATO AWACS mission. NATO AWACS E-3A aircraft fly airborne command and control missions for counter-ISIS operations over Iraq and Syria, Eastern European surveillance, and Mediterranean maritime operations. The 185th ARW group is one component of a rotating ANG force that supports the NATO mission with refueling flights. “This has always been a very successful partnership,” said Royal Netherlands Air Force Capt. Andre Bongers, a Geilenkirchen spokesman, according to a press release. “During 40 weeks per year the Air Guard provides essential training to the NATO E-3A component. This is vital because pilots at the E-3A component normally stay around for only four years.” The Iowa ANG group will complete their tour at the end of the week and will be succeeded by members of an ANG unit from Topeka, Kan.
B-52 Bombers Make Rare Landing At Civilian Airport
April 18, 2024
Two B-52s assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale AFB landed at Chennault International Airport, a public airport in Lake Charles, La. on April 12 as part of the wing's Bayou Vigilance Exercise.