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44th Fighter Squadron, an F-15 unit under the 18th Wing at Kadena AB, Japan, won the Raytheon Trophy for 2012, recognized as the Air Force’s top air superiority squadron during last year. “I would just like to thank all the airmen for their professionalism, hard work, and sacrifices that ultimately made this award possible,” said Lt. Col. David Eaglin, 44th FS commander, in a March 11 Kadena release. “The 44th FS was deployed for over 290 days, and that kind of operations tempo can take a toll on our airmen and their families. To their credit, no one ever complained. They just packed a bag, suited up, and did what they were asked to do,” added Eaglin. The 44th FS closed out 2012 with more than 3,000 sorties, logging more than 5,000 hours of flying and providing air superiority over 11 countries across three continents, states the release. This marks the second consecutive year that a Kadena F-15 unit has earned the Raytheon Trophy: the 67th FS took home the 2011 award. (Kadena report by A1C Brooke P. Doyle)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.