Franklin Hibel
Recent stories by Franklin Hibel
‘A Chunk Taken Out of His Spine’: F-16, KC-46 in Refueling Incident over Europe
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter and a KC-46 Pegasus tanker were involved in an aerial refueling incident off the coast of the Netherlands on June 27, service officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
B-52s Take Off from US Base with JASSM Cruise Missiles for ‘Unique’ Exercise
Airmen from Barksdale Air Force Base's 2nd Bomb Wing carried out an unusual exercise June 10-13 during which they loaded AMG-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, or JASSMs, onto B-52H Stratofortresses to test their ability to conduct long-range conventional airstrike missions.
How a Small Fleet of E-11A Business Jets Allow USAF to Communicate Across the Middle East
Amid the reduction in America's airpower in the Middle East, one asset has proven its resilience: the E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) aircraft of the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron. Air & Space Forces Magazine had a rare opportunity to talk to the Airmen who ...
Behind the Scenes at NATO’s One-on-One Fighter Competition
In the span of roughly eight hours, 37 NATO fighters took off in rapid succession. The one-on-one fighter competition conducted on June 6 was a first for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFA) and Ramstein Air Base. The pilots did not know who they ...
USAF B-52 Bombers Fly Over Baltics Near Russian Territory
Two B-52 Stratofortresses from a U.S. Air Force bomber task force flew over the Baltics and Eastern Europe on May 28, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said. The pair of B-52s were escorted by Spanish F-18 Hornets, German Eurofighter Typhoons, and Polish MiG-29s.
Belgium Pledges F-16s to Ukraine ‘as Quickly as Possible.’ F-35 Deliveries Could Complicate Things
Belgium pledged to provide Ukraine with more than two dozen F-16s in a pact agreed to by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the country on May 28. The F-16s will be delivered “as ...
PHOTOS: B-1 Bombers Deploy to the Pacific as China Drills Around Taiwan
B-1 Lancer bombers are on a bomber task force mission to Guam amid high tensions in the region, Pacific Air Forces announced on May 23. There has been heavy military activity in the Pacific following the May 20 inauguration of Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, who ...
First Ukrainian Pilots Graduate US F-16 Training
Multiple Ukrainian pilots have graduated from their F-16 training course at the Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing in Tucson, Ariz., Arizona National Guard spokesperson Capt. Erin Hannigan said. The 162nd Wing is the U.S. Air Force’s training unit for foreign F-16 pilots.
USAF Aid Airdrops to Gaza to Continue Even as US Pier Opens
U.S. aid airdrops into Gaza will continue for the foreseeable future even as food aid is delivered to the famished enclave through a new military maritime route, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters May 23.
Air Force Releases First Video of XQ-67 Drone, a CCA Prototype, in Flight
The Air Force released the first video of a new experimental drone in flight. General Atomics’ XQ-67A is intended to prepare the service for its future fleet of autonomous collaborative combat aircraft, and the company has called the drone a “CCA prototype."
B-52s Land in UK to Kick Off Another Bomber Task Force
B-52 Stratofortess bombers kicked off yet another Bomber Task Force mission May 20, with the first aircraft touching down at RAF Fairford, U.K., the Pentagon said. The appetite for bomber task force exceeds capacity,” the head of Air Force Global Strike Command Gen. Thomas A. ...
Russia’s New Counterspace Weapon Is in the Same Orbit as a US Satellite
Russia launched a counterspace weapon into the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite on May 16, U.S. officials said, as tensions between the two countries in space continue to ratchet up. U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood first disclosed the existence of the Russian counterspace weapon during ...
Decommissioned Missile Sites Likely Had Hazardous Chemicals, AFGSC Says
Certain harmful chemicals were likely present at decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missile bases, the Air Force said in a memorandum published May 20. The Air Force has found evidence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—which are possible carcinogens, at active Minuteman III ICBM bases as part of its ...
New AFSOC Commander, Academy Superintendent, Top Planner All Nominated
Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind has been nominated to take over as superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and his current director of operations Brig. Gen. Michael E. Conley is set to jump two ranks and succeed him ...
Pentagon, USAF Report Decrease in Sexual Assault, But Most Women Don’t Trust System
Sexual assaults in the U.S. military decreased for the first time in nearly a decade last year, according to a survey released May 16—but the Defense Department still faces deep mistrust among many women service members in how it handles cases. Both reported and estimated ...