The Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Air Refueling Wing simultaneously staged a large mobility deployment exercise and an aircraft sortie-generation drill at Salt Lake City International Airport. More than 160 Air Guardsmen and approximately 120 palletized short tons of airfreight were readied for transport on short notice, and four KC-135 crews simulated a deployment during Exercise Double Whammy, held Aug, 5-7. Col. Kenneth Gammon, who commanded the exercise said, “This is the first time in years we’ve done it all, primed personnel, palletized cargo, and placed it all together to posture for deployment. These are perishable skills that we need to preserve.” (Salt Lake City report by SrA. Lilliam Harnden)
The crews of the two-ship F-15E formation that stared down the leading edge of Iran’s massive aerial assault against Israel in April 2024 were presented with the Mackay Trophy last week, further cementing their place in Air Force history.
