Japanese F-15s based on Okinawa returned to the skies Wednesday for the first time since a fleet-wide grounding due to a fatal crash earlier this month during a training sortie from Naha Air Base. The Japanese defense ministry initially suspended all Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 operations after the July 5 mishap, pending structural evaluation of the country’s 202 license-built Mitsubishi F-15s. Sorties from mainland bases resumed last week, followed by Okinawa flight operations after the JASDF undertook “elaborate security precautions to ensure safety in both the aircraft and mental and physical aspect of the pilots,” said Naha spokesman Maj. Minoru Takara, reported Stars and Stripes.
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?