The 67th Fighter Squadron, an F-15 unit under the 18th Wing at Kadena AB, Japan, earned the Raytheon Trophy for 2011, judged the Air Force’s top air superiority squadron during last year. “The 67th Fighter Squadron clearly displayed its superior ability to dominate the sky anywhere in the world,” said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz in announcing the winner. Lt. Col. Robert Cioppa, the 67th FS commander, said: “The credit for this award truly belongs with the men and women of the 67th FS and [aircraft maintenance unit].” He added, “In my career, I have never seen any fighter squadron endure the operations tempo the 67th FS had in 2011.” This included “two short-notice, real-world deployments” and sending personnel and aircraft to 10 different countries on three continents “while supporting multiple joint and international exercises,” he said. The 27th Fighter Squadron, an F-22 unit at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., was the 2010 recipient of the annual trophy. (Kadena report by A1C Maeson L. Elleman)
The Space Force is preparing for significant growth to its procurement budget in fiscal 2027, and the head of the service’s largest acquisition organization said April 14 he is asking companies to invest now in facilities and production capacity so they’re ready to execute when called upon.