A C-17 crew from McChord AFB, Wash., conducted an 11-hour mission, flying from Christchurch, New Zealand, Jan. 4 to airdrop critical equipment to a British fishing ship that had been stranded in ice in the Antarctic since it suffered engine failure on Christmas Eve. Active and Air Force Reserve Command aircrews and support personnel from McChord are deployed to Christchurch for Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica. The British company Argos Georgia Limited, which had exhausted a search for commercial assistance, asked for US military help and supplied the spare parts and flotation aids. (13th Air Force report)
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.