The 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw AFB, S.C., just hosted Operation Iron Thunder, a four-day exercise involving aircraft from various states and countries. One phase of the exercise pitted approximately 85 “Blue air” aircraft against about 15 “Red air” aggressors as Blue tried to protect a target; the other phase reversed the situation. Participating aircraft included USAF F-15Es, F-16s, B-1Bs, an E-3 E-8C Joint STARS, and KC-135 tanker. USAF and the Royal Air Force each sent an E-3 AWACS, while the Navy provided F/A-18s.
Boeing has only delivered two KC-46 tankers to the Air Force so far in 2021, despite USAF officials saying they expect that total per month, as the service has slowed the delivery pace of the aircraft. Though there are more aircraft ready at Boeing’s facilities, Air Mobility Command is slowing…