Next Monday, April 16, the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., plans to launch 70 of its F-15Es to destroy more than 1,000 targets on bombing ranges across North Carolina. The training mission is meant to pay homage to the wing’s heritage by marking the massive bombing raid against Germany on April 16, 1945, during which 4th Fighter Group fighters destroyed 105 enemy aircraft, vaulting the group’s tally to 1,016 total enemy aircraft destroyed, “more than any group or wing in Air Force history,” according to 4th FW officials. “We proudly carry on the legacy of the 4th Fighter Group’s victory today with the F-15E Strike Eagle,” said Col. Patrick Doherty, 4th FW commander, in a release. He will lead next week’s training strike. “Even though today’s fight is different, the dedication of our airmen has not wavered and we are still Fourth, but first,” added Doherty.
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
