A U.S. Air Force F-16 shot down a Turkish government drone on Oct. 5 after it flew within half a kilometer of U.S. forces in Syria. The incident was an extremely rare military engagement between two NATO members, who were already at odds over a ...
An Air Force task force charged with advancing new technologies is considering fielding one-way attack drones in the Middle East, the top USAF commander for the region told reporters Oct. 4. Task Force 99, a small detachment in Air Forces Central (AFCENT), is exploring kinetic ...
More than a month after the Pentagon announced it was sending Air Force F-35s, thousands of U.S. Marines and Sailors, and American warships to the Persian Gulf region in response to Iran’s attempted seizures of commercial vessels, officials say they see no signs the situation ...
After a series of incidents in the skies over Syria, Russian pilots appear to have become less aggressive toward U.S. forces following the arrival of F-35 stealth multirole fighters to the Middle East, according to U.S. officials. Originally tasked to deter Iranian attacks on commercial ...
Air Forces Central has unveiled a colorful new patch to acknowledge the significant role U.S. allies and partners play in military operations in the Middle East. Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, the commander of AFCENT, said the move is an overdue recognition that coalition partners are ...
Twelve U.S. Air Force F-35s have arrived in the Middle East to beef up U.S. Central Command’s airpower in the region and deter Iran from seizing oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, the service announced July 26. The deployment of the aircraft also comes ...
A Russian fighter damaged a U.S. drone over Syria earlier this week, the top Air Force commander for the region said July 25, in the latest escalation between American and Russian aircraft. The incident took place at approximately 7:23 am Syria time on July 23. ...
There was something different about one of the U.S. fighters that flew over the Strait of Hormuz this past week to deter Iran from seizing oil tankers. Three green stars are plainly visible on an F-16, tail 2137, in newly released Department of Defense photos ...
The U.S. Air Force is now using F-16s to bolster its armed overwatch of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region and deter Iran from trying to seize the vessels, U.S. officials say, joining A-10s that have already been flying patrols in the Gulf for ...
The last Air Force C-21A Learjet left Qatar on June 30, ending an era for a little-known aircraft that had an outsized impact overseas.
After three straight days of harassment by Russian fighters, U.S. MQ-9s conducted an airstrike that killed an ISIS leader in Syria on July 7, U.S. Central Command and Air Forces Central said. The strike was conducted by the same MQ-9s that were confronted by Russian ...
Russian fighters dropped flares in front of U.S. MQ-9s over Syria on two consecutive days in escalating tactics intended to disrupt U.S. operations in "a new level" of aggressive behavior by Russian forces, according to U.S. officials. "We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease ...