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.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.