Three airmen died in southern Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle, announced the Defense Department. Killed on Jan. 5 in Shir ghazi in Helmand province were explosive ordnance disposal technicians: TSgt. Matthew S. Schwartz, 34, of Traverse...

The first Air Force C-130H aircraft fitted with state-of-the-art cockpit equipment at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia arrived last week at Little Rock AFB, Ark. This is the fourth overall C-130H upgraded under the Boeing-led C-130 Avionics Modernization...

Retired Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez, died on Dec. 30 in Albuquerque, N.M., at age 79. He is credited with revolutionizing the Air Force’s maintenance and logistics career field and then playing an instrumental role post retirement in preventing Kirtland AFB,...

Impending cuts to the defense budget of some $480 billion over the next decade "will stifle the ability of the defense industry to deliver innovation and urgent wartime capabilities," warned the Defense Industrial Base Task Force last week. Worse, reductions beyond that, up to the $1 trillion sequestration level outlined in the 2011 Budget Control Act, "would severely damage the defense industrial base as a commercially viable enterprise, as a reliable and responsive provider of urgent wartime needs, and as a national strategic asset that is indispensable to the defense of the United States," according to the report that the task force publicly released on Jan. 6. "This report paints an alarming picture for the future of the aerospace and defense industry," said Aerospace Industries Association President Marion Blakey in a release. The report is based on a task force survey of several dozen companies. The task force is comprised of companies from AIA, the National Defense Industrial Association, and Professional Services Council.

Air Frame: Year in Review, May 2011: US special forces on May 1, 2011, killed Osama bin Laden, head of the terrorist network responsible for the 9/11 attacks, in a raid on a compound north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Here, the FBI's updated mug shot of OBL after his death. On May 3, 2011, the Air Force stood down the F-22 fleet out of concern over potential equipment malfunctions depriving pilots of sufficient oxygen. Also in May, the Air Force launched GEO-1, the first Space Based Infrared System geosynchronous early warning satellite into orbit and accepted its first production F-35A strike fighter. Also, Army Pfc. Anthony Kaho’ohanohano and Pfc. Henry Svehla posthumously received Medals of Honor for extraordinary acts of heroism in the Korean War. And, 1st Lt. Ryan McGuire became the first amputee to complete Air Force pilot training. FBI photo (Click on image above to reach larger version.)

Air Force F-16s and A-10s flew close air support to cover the rescue of an Army aircrew after its AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed in northern Afghanistan. The downed crew’s wingmen relayed a distress call through a nearby KC-135 tanker...

Members of the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron began supporting the air defense of the Arabian Gulf. This squadron, currently comprised of airmen assigned to the 606th ACS in Spangdahlem AB, Germany, was the first air control unit on station...

The Turkish government approved negotiations to proceed for the purchase of the F-35 strike fighter. Turkey’s defense procurement ministry is now expected to formally ink a deal for Turkey’s first two F-35s, with delivery expected in 2015, reported Turkey’s Hurriyet...

A group of spouses visiting their military husbands and wives stationed in South Korea flew aboard a KC-135 tanker during a training mission from Kunsan Air Base so that they could witness first-hand the work that their loved ones perform....

A retired F-15 Eagle may soon grace the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Parkway in Warner Robins, Ga., if the city can raise the money needed to bring it to display, reports Warner Robins’ WMAZ news. The city council voted to allocate...