Two F-15 pilots with the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing flying an Operation Noble Eagle intercept mission in late December coincidently completed the operation’s 55,000th sortie, the Continental US NORAD Region reported Jan. 14. Additionally, since the operation began on Sept. 11, 2001, ONE assigned fighter aircraft have responded to more than 2,350 possible air threats. Maj. Gen. Garry Dean, CONR commander, noted, “We have achieved an astounding 55,000 accident-free” sorties and have “ensured the continued sovereignty of our skies.” Although ONE no longer maintains fighters in the air 24/7, fighter crews, predominantly Air Guard, stand alert around the country. Col. John Bartholf, leader of the Eastern Air Defense Sector, said, “It continues to be a no-fail mission that protects our most precious resource—the citizens of this great nation.”
Members of the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing helped save 11 airplane crash survivors off the coast of Florida on May 12. The Reserve Airmen were flying an HC-130J Combat King II and an HH-60W Jolly Green II on a routine training flight when a Coast Guard call diverted…