US Air Force B-2 bombers have been flying 18-hour missions to Australia to make use of the Delamere bombing range in Australia’s Northern Territory, as part of Exercise Green Lightning. USAF KC-10 tankers enabled the bombers to participate in this new bi-national training event, which US Pacific Command officials say will improve operational familiarity in the region and relations with Australian counterparts. Future exercises are to feature USAF’s other strategic bombers—the B-1B and B-52—flying long-haul missions to Australia.
North American Aerospace Defense Command on Jan. 25 tracked two Russian maritime patrol aircraft entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. NORAD tracked the two Tu-142s in international airspace, and they didn’t enter the sovereign airspace of either the United States or Canada. No U.S. or Canadian aircraft scrambled to…