For the first time, the US flies airplanes directly to the Soviet Union without Soviet personnel on board as observers. The flights are part of the first humanitarian airlift to the Communist country, which earlier had refused such assistance. Over the course of eight weeks, Military Airlift Command aircraft and crews deliver more than 311 tons of relief cargo to victims of an earthquake in Yerevan, Armenia.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.