An E-3B Sentry AWACS aircraft crashes on takeoff at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, after several Canadian geese flew into the aircraft’s two left wing engines. The crew of 24 US and Canadian airmen are killed. This is the first catastrophic AWACS accident in more than 18 years of operation.
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.