Air Combat Command plays host next week at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., to this year’s iteration of Angel Thunder, the worlds’ largest multinational personnel recovery exercise. It runs April 12-23. In addition to Air Force rescue teams and recovery aircraft, personnel and platforms from across the US military and other federal agencies will participate, as will those of the armed forces of Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. (Langley release)
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.