Air & Space Forces Magazine
In This Issue
Check out the March/April 2026 issue of Air & Space Forces Magazine.

WORLD: Epic Fury
Early Lessons of Epic Fury USAF, USSF Lead in Biggest Air Campaign Since 2003. With contributions from Courtney Albon, Matt Cox, Stephen Losey, and Todd South W hen the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against hundreds of targets in Iran...
Into the Desert: Mobilizing for Desert Shield
The biggest airlift campaign in history wasn’t always pretty. But it worked. It was like picking up the population of a mid-size American city—Atlanta, Kansas City, Sacramento—and moving it halfway around the world. More than a half million people, vehicles,...
Life or Death Over Yemen
How two F-16 pilots survived a Houthi SAMbush. About 15 seconds separated F-16 “Wild Weasel” pilots Lt. Col. William “Skate” Parks and Maj. Michael “Danger” Blea from life or death in the night skies over Yemen. Along with multiple B-2...
What Satellites Reveal about China’s Military Expansion
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is growing at an alarming rate. The world is changing—fast. And you don’t need to have exclusive access to bespoke intelligence capabilities to see those changes yourself. Open-source intelligence sources can now inform public...
Polaris Awards
Established in 2022, the Polaris Awards honor individuals and teams who embody the highest standards of the Guardian Values—Character, Commitment, Connection, and Courage. Each year officer, enlisted, and civilian Guardians across the Space Force are nominated. Chosen from more than 15,000...
Editorial: Epic Challenge
Operation Epic Fury got underway Feb. 28 with the largest assembly of U.S. airpower since 2003: Nearly 300 Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps fighters, 20 bombers, dozens of tankers, and a fleet of electronic warfare, intelligence and surveillance, command...