The Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team performed for the first time in Finland, headlining the Turku Air Show together with the Finnish air force Midnight Hawks demo group. “Finland is a great friend to the US, and I hope this is just the first of many Thunderbirds performances here,” said Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, Thunderbirds commander, during the air show in mid June. To mark their visit, the Thunderbirds added the Finnish flag to the flag panel behind the cockpits of their F-16s. Over the team’s 58-year history, its members have added a tiny flag for every country they have performed in. The panel now has 63 national flags. (Turku report by SSgt. Jake Richmond)
NATO Scrambles Fighter in Newest Response to Russian Drones
Sept. 16, 2025
NATO scrambled its first fighter Sept. 13 under its new plan to bolster its defenses against Russian air incursions that was put into place after an array of Russian drones flew into Polish airspace last week, the officials from the alliance’s military command said.
