Franklin Hibel


Recent stories by Franklin Hibel

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.

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.

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 ...

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