California Air National Guardsmen, flying two HH-60G Pave Hawks from Moffett Federal Airfield northwest of San Jose, rescued an ailing sailor from a vessel under way some 200 miles off the California coast. Refueling en-route by an MC-130P tanker allowed the pair of 129th Rescue Wing helicopters to reach the ship Sunday afternoon, recovering a patient suffering from stroke-like symptoms. “The Coast Guard knew they could depend on our specialized capability” to reach the victim from long range, said Col. Steven Butow, 129th RQW commander. “This is a prime example of how the 129th and California National Guard [are] ready to support civilian authorities at a moment’s notice,” he added. The Air Guardsmen evacuated the 54-year old patient from the container ship MCS Beijing and brought him to a hospital in San Jose for treatment. The wing’s aircrew and pararescuemen were credited with the unit’s 948th “save” for the Feb. 4 mission. (Moffett release)
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…