October 1998

Vol. 81, No. 10

Subscribe Digital Download (PDF)

Degraded Benefit

By John T. Correll

The military retirement system is no longer the incentive it used to be for people to stay in service.

Missile Threats and Defenses

By Bill Gertz

The threat of ballistic missile attack is growing much faster than had been anticipated by US intellig

Baltic Guard

The largest NATO exercise ever held in the Baltic region relied on elements of the Michigan and Maryland Air National Guard for critical air support.

Scoping Out the New Strike Fighter

By John A. Tirpak

The Joint Strike Fighter is moving from concept studies and designs toward real hardware.

The Access Issue

So far, "lockout" problems have never stopped an operation to which the US was seriously committed.

Inside the Berlin Airlift with the Chief of Staff of the Operation

By T. Ross Milton USAF (Ret.)

Over the course of 15 months from June 26, 1948, to Sept. 30, 1949, American and British pilots flew 92 million miles on 277,000 flights as part of the Berlin Airlift to deliver nearly 2.3 million tons of supplies to the blockaded city. Air & Space Forces Magazine is republishing this retrospective from Gen. T. Ross Milton, chief of staff for the operation’s task force, which offers a personal account of the Herculean effort.

Russian Military Almanac

Who’s who and what’s where in the Russian armed forces.

The Retention Problem Spreads

By Peter Grier

Too many Air Force people are deciding life might be better out of the service.

Do Not Adjust Your Set

Psychological warfare, as conducted by ANG’s Commando Solo unit, means taking control of the airwaves.

Blood Chit

By Carroll V. Glines USAF

In many languages and various forms—jacket patches, cards, letters—they were official IOUs to those wh

Aerospace World

By Peter Grier

F-22 Flies Cross-Country On Aug. 26, Raptor 4002, the second F-22 fighter, flew nonstop from Dobbins ARB, Ga., to Edwards AFB, Calif., where it joined the first F-22-Raptor 4001-for flight testing. Arrival of 4002 at Edwards represents the USAF fighter...

Verbatim

Dark Days “The situation is worse than in 1917 [year of the Bolshevik seizure of power during World War I]. … The situation in Russia is catastrophic.”–Alexander Lebed, ex-general and presidential aspirant, in a Sept. 2, 1998, Moscow press conference...