Snapshot of the Strategic Missile and Bomber Force

? The Air Force had 447 Minuteman III ICBMs on operational status in their silos, along with 10 B-2A stealth bombers and 77 B-52H bombers in deployed status as of Sept. 1, 2014, based on the counting rules used by...

Air Guard Unit Hits Predator Milestone

The California Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing in December reached 100,000 hours of operating MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft, according to a unit release. “This landmark achievement is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our airmen,” said...

C-17 Airlifts MRAPs to Iraqi and Kurdish Forces

Mobility airmen delivered a pair of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to Irbil, Iraq, just prior to the new year, announced the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. Supported by members of the 386th Expeditionary Operations Group and 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, a...

Al Udeid Wing Makes Transition

By Marc V. Schanz
Before the start of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel on Jan. 1, combat aircraft operating with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing from al Udeid AB, Qatar, conducted their final missions supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, the US combat mission in Afghanistan since 2001....

Goodbye, Wicked Wanda

Members of the 4th Special Operations Squadron last month conducted the final flight of the AC-130H gunship Wicked Wanda at Hurlburt Field Fla., before its retirement, according to a base release. This airframe, tail number 6575, served 43 years, participating...

Eyes in the Sky

The Army now has a large, radar-equipped aerostat perched high above the Washington, D.C., area that will help defend the nation’s capital and nearby region from air threats, announced manufacturer Raytheon. Company engineers lofted the football-field-sized tethered blimp above rural...

F-15 Parts Contractor Sentenced to Prison For Fraud

By Autumn A. Arnett
The owner of an Arizona manufacturing company will serve six months in prison for defrauding the Air Force, according to a Justice Department release. Malcom Robert Markson pleaded guilty to fraudulently providing the Air Force with substandard F-15 wing pins...