Over North Vietnam, Maj. Leo K. Thorsness, along with his electronic warfare officer, Capt. Harold E. Johnson, destroys two enemy surface-to-air missile sites then shoots down a MiG-17 before escorting search-and-rescue helicopters to a downed aircrew. Although the North American F-105 is very low on fuel, Thorsness attacks four MiG-17s in an effort to draw the enemy aircraft away from area. He then lands at a forward air base. Awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions this day, Thorsness does not receive his medal until 1973, as on April 30, 1967, he is shot down and spends the next six years as a prisoner of war.
Sierra Nevada Corp. has acquired five ex-Korean Air 747-8 jumbo jets on which it will host the Survivable Airborne Operations Center. The jets will be transferred next year and will serve as the platforms for the SAOC, the $13 billion contract for which SNC won last month. The jets were…