Haiti Disaster Airlift Response Continues: Air Mobility Command reported Tuesday that its forces so far had flown more than 260 sorties, providing 1,600 tons of cargo and about 2,400 personnel to earthquake-devastated Haiti. AMC forces also have evacuated more than 600 people from Haiti. Additionally, to help alleviate the burden on the single-runway airport (see Working Haiti Aid above), a C-17 based at Charleston AFB, S.C. flew out of Pope AFB, N.C., on Jan. 18 to airdrop a load of 69,000 pounds of food and water to Joint Task Force Haiti for urgently needed distribution on the ground. Mobility aircrews and aircraft from as far away as McChord AFB, Wash., have participated in the relief efforts, staging aircraft and extra crews at East Coast bases. Active and reserve airmen comprise many mobility crews, including six C-17 rotations flying out of JB McGuire, N.J. (AMC report; McChord report; Charleston report by SSgt. Daniel Bowles; JB McGuire report by TSgt. Denise Johnson)
Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish…