More than 150 airmen and 12 F-22s from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall AFB, Fla., are at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, through early September for training. The Air Force calls this deployment the first-ever Global Gem exercise. The Raptor pilots are getting the opportunity to fly in airspace and over rugged terrain that starkly contrasts Tyndall’s ocean coastline environment in which they usually operate. “The majority of the flying we do is over the water. Obviously when we go to war, we’re not always flying over water,” said Lt. Col. Bradley Bird, 43rd FS commander. Plus, the F-22s are getting the chance to fly with the F-15s of Mountain Home’s 389th FS. The F-15s are playing the role of adversarial aircraft in some drills and, in others, are partnering with the F-22s to form combined force packages. Tyndall is home to the F-22 schoolhouse. (Mountain Home report by SrA. Alyssa C. Wallace)
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
