USAFE, for some reason, has been dusting off its old competition concepts. The command this month revived the Excalibur fighter competition between US and RAF crews (see above). It had disappeared after the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Cold War. “Sure Fire,” another Cold War staple—this one for weapons loaders—just wrapped up Thursday at Spangdahlem AB, Germany. Details to come.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.