Capt. Ryan Bone, an F-15E weapons systems officer with the 335th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., on Nov. 22 reached 1,000 flying hours in the backseat of the Strike Eagle during a mission over Afghanistan. “It feels good reaching 1,000 hours in my first assignment,” said Bone, who is serving with the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron that is operating out of Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. (Bagram photo caption by SrA. Felicia Juenke)
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…