Red Flag Alaska 14-2, which recently wrapped up in Alaska, saw the deployment of a large Japanese air force presence, along with Australian airplanes. The event helped enable the Japanese and Australians to fly simulated combat sorties in a variety of realistic threat environments, Pacific Air Forces spokesman Capt. Raymond Geoffroy told Air Force Magazine. The Japanese brought C-130H, E-767 AWACS, F-15J, and KC-767 tanker aircraft, while the Australians flew C-130Js at RF-A 14-2, which took place from June 12 to June 27. The Royal New Zealand Air Force dispatched airmen as working-level observers, said Geoffroy. Last summer, Japanese airmen trained with US and South Korean counterparts for the first time together in Alaska. PACAF has declared it wants to expand opportunities for US allies to train together in multilateral exercises, such as RF-A.
Bell Textron has won DARPA's contest for a no-runway, high-speed drone that will prove out technologies useful for special operations forces and possibly the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept. Bell's design converts a tiltrotor to a jet-powered aircraft able to fly at up to 450 knots.