Faces of the Force

Sept. 6, 2024
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to airandspaceforces@afa.org. Senior Airman Malachi Ward of the 51st Logistic Readiness Squadron saved a choking child while bowling. When the child’s older brother alerted Ward, he performed the Heimlich maneuver...
New B-1 Pylon Creates ‘Hypersonic Testbed’ By John A. Tirpak The Air Force has begun using a new Boeing pylon to test a variety of weapons on the B-1 Lancer, the 412th Test Wing announced in August, and now has a...

WORLD: Russia-Ukraine

Sept. 6, 2024
Ukraine Unveils Its First F-16 Fighters By Chris Gordon Ukraine’s first F-16s were unveiled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Aug. 4, ending a lengthy wait for the Western fighters Kyiv says it needs to defend its airspace from Russia....

WORLD: Air

Sept. 6, 2024
B-1 Bombers from Ellsworth to Grand Forks USAF plans to relocate B-1s in 2025. By Unshin Lee Harpley The Air Force is planning to relocate 17 B-1 bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.,...
The congressionally appointed Commission on the National Defense Strategy (NDS), after a thorough two-year look, concludes that the strategy is deeply flawed. The bipartisan panel of experts unanimously urged revisions to address emerging threats and advised a steady increase in defense spending to meet growing ...

Fighting the Air Base

Sept. 6, 2024
Front-line air bases are like any other weapon system: They are only effective if they can function under enemy fire. Air bases at forward locations in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, or other theaters must be able to fend off complex integrated air and missile strikes, rapidly ...
The Air Force’s ambitious effort to overhaul its organization, deployment model, and training to better prepare for great power competition with China was just six months old when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin returned from Exercise...
Our F-16 burst through the clouds above Spangdahlem Air Base on a crisp early morning in June, one of several Fighting Falcons from the 480th Fighter Squadron operating as an opposition force for a counter-air exercise. 
Robbie Risner was a hero in two wars. Earning two Air Force Crosses, he was an ace in Korea and a prisoner of war (POW) in Vietnam who survived over seven years in captivity.

Faces of the Force

July 26, 2024
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to airandspaceforces@afa.org.