The Air Force’s F-15E fleet recently eclipsed 8,000 combat flight hours during a mission of the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The F-15E on this historic mission provided overhead security during helicopter re-supply of a remote area and also coordinated communications between the helicopters and coalition forces on the ground. The 336th EFS comprises elements of the 336th FS from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. The aircrew for the mission was pilot Capt. Jaina Donberg, a native of Arlington, Va., and weapon systems officer Capt. Nick Foster, a native of Martinsburg, W.Va. SrA. John Yates, a native of Pawtucket, R.I., was the crew chief. (Bagram report by Capt. David Faggard)
The Air Force’s nascent KC-Z program, aimed at developing a next-generation family of systems for aerial refueling, will look to launch its analysis-of-alternatives study in 2024, years earlier than originally planned. Originally, the analysis of alternatives for KC-Z was set for “maybe in the 2030s,” Paul Waugh, program executive officer…