F-15Cs flew 60 sorties over the arctic environs of Iceland during a three-week NATO air policing rotation to Keflavik. This deployment concluded on June 5 after three weeks, according to a June 9 Keflavik release. A KC-135 tanker from RAF Mildenhall, Britain, that had deployed with the air defenders allowed the fighter pilots to venture farther out over the icy waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, requiring an around-the-clock rescue alert in case of an ejection. Guardian Angels from Kadena AB, Japan, flew 19 training sorties and conducted 32 parachute jumps from the C-130J from Ramstein AB, Germany, during drills with the Icelandic coast guard. “The results reflect the great cooperation between our two nations and the ability to integrate our capabilities, both military and civilian,” said Jon Gundnason, Icelandic coast guard station chief. The F-15s from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, logged a total of 125 flight hours on alert during the deployment. (Keflavik report by TSgt. Benjamin Wilson)
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.