Col. Michael Popovich, the commander of Air Force Reserve Command’s 944th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., has flown 3,000 flying hours in F-16 fighters. He made his milestone flight on May 20 during a training sortie, but he has flown 293 of those hours in combat, covering operations from Desert Storm to present-day action in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I am very fortunate to have flown in many offensive combat operations and to have had so many great opportunities over my Air Force career,” said Popovich. In his civilian career, he flies for American Airlines. (944th FW report by TSgt. Susan Stout)
When an E-3 Sentry battle management aircraft was damaged in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, it sparked a host of questions about one of the Air Force’s oldest, smallest, but most critical fleets. Experts say the service doesn’t have many options to answer those questions.