Airman Dies in Afghanistan:

The Pentagon has announced that TSgt. William H. Jefferson Jr., 34, of Norfolk, Va., died March 22 from wounds received when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near Sperwan Ghar, Afghanistan. Jefferson had deployed from Air Force Special Operations...

Continental Event:

US Air Forces in Europe expects to reactivate 17th Air Force, the air component of the fledgling US Africa Command, on USAF’s anniversary this Sept. 18, says Gen. Roger A. Brady, who has led USAFE since January. AFRICOM is expected...

Pentagon Tries to Meet Demand for Predators:

The Office of the Secretary of Defense is pushing the Air Force to deploy nearly all of its MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles to support ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reported March 21. While the...

Reiterating the Tanker Imperative:

The general whose command will manage the new fleet of KC-45A tankers when it comes onboard next decade reaffirmed the urgency in getting past the current legal protest and moving the tanker program forward. “My hope is that as we...

Still Fighting:

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s efforts to keep the F-16s of the Illinois Air National Guard’s 183rd Fighter Wing at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield received a much-needed boost in mid March. The Springfield Journal-Register reported March 21 that...

Real Recognition for Synthetic Work:

The Air Force team that developed the synthetic fuel blend that is now certified for use on the B-52 bomber received the FAA’s 2007 Excellence in Aviation Research Award March 14 at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The annual award is bestowed...

F-35s in Europe, “Now” Would Be Good:

Bringing the F-35 Lightning II to Europe is “obviously something that I’m interested in,” Gen. Roger A. Brady, commander of US Air Forces in Europe, said March 18. But there are currently no firm plans for when or where the...

US Leads Way on NATO C-17 Fleet:

The first commander of the nascent NATO C-17 fleet at Papa AB, Hungary, will be a USAF colonel, according to Gen. Roger A. Brady, commander of US Air Forces in Europe. Fifteen NATO members plus Finland and Sweden have agreed...

Pacific Shuffle:

Maj. Gen. Dana T. Atkins has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general to command Eleventh Air Force at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, with Pacific Air Forces, the Pentagon announced March 20. In this role, he would also head Alaskan Command...

Globemaster Milestone:

The Air Force’s first C-17 test aircraft, T-1, conducted its 1,000th flight March 10 at Edwards AFB, Calif., its home. During the historic flight, T-1 was used to conduct tests of a hybrid air delivery system. Built in 1991, T-1...

Transition Agent:

The Global Cyberspace Integration Center at Langley AFB, Va., has transitioned 11 new systems to the warfighter in the past 12 months that were demonstrated during Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment activities. And the center says it isn’t done yet, with...

Golden Anniversary:

NORAD turns 50 this year and plans to celebrate the milestone with a series of activities both in Canada and the United States. According to a March 20 release, the events will kick off with a gala Golden Jubilee Ball...

Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest Asia

March 20, 2008 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 24 11 35 2,149 CAS/Armed Recon 55 43 98 6,522 Airlift 141 141 9,766 Air refueling 47 47 3,039 Total 321 21,476 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...