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)
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.