Air Force leaders again expressed growing dismay at their need to reduce flying hours—by 10 percent in the 2008 budget request—during a Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing Wednesday. Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley already has testified that he has asked for a review of the flying hour situation despite the fact service officials spent some 2.2 million man hours developing the budget plan. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said that the current flying hour program—about eight percent off last year’s—translates into “low risk,” however as the number edges closer to 10 percent he and Moseley feel “less comfortable.”
Air Force F-16s from Germany Deploy to Middle East
Oct. 27, 2024
As tensions spiral in the Middle East, U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Germany have flown to the region, U.S. Central Command said Oct. 25. The F-16s are from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and represent some of the service’s most advanced models.