About 1,400 US and foreign militar
y forces will descend upon Eielson and Elmendorf Air Force Bases for the April 16 to May 1 iteration of Red Flag-Alaska (RF-A). French units will join NATO and US forces in this Pacific Air Forces-directed training event that offers offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support, and large force employment training, played out over the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range. (For more on RF-A, read Air Force Magazine’s Red Flag Over Alaska) Part of the RF-A mix will be USAF’s new F-22 Raptor, which, according to a new Popular Mechanics article, means the guys in the fourth-generation fighters “die wholesale.” The article zeroes in on airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing on their final deployment with the wing’s F-16 Vipers, this time in training at Nellis AFB, Nev. The unit shed its first two fighters last fall as it began the transition to an MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle mission. (Elmendorf report)
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.