Two B-1 Bombers Fly to and from Ellsworth to Train with Japanese Fighters

Two B-1 Bombers Fly to and from Ellsworth to Train with Japanese Fighters

Aug. 7, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Two B-1 Lancers crossed the Pacific on Aug. 1 and 2 to join Japanese fighters in a tactical mission aimed to “deter adversaries” in the airspace between South Korea and Japan.

The long-range bombers were joined by two F-16s from the 35th Fighter Squadron and four F-15s from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for a one-day training event Aug 2. Capt. Rachel Buitrago, a spokesperson for the 7th Air Force, confirmed the bombers were from the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.

“Launching missions like these from Ellsworth validates our unique capability to hold any target at risk, anywhere on the globe, at a moment’s notice,” Lt. Col. Robert Wasil, 34th Bomb Squadron commander, in a release. “Most importantly, it reassures our Allies and partners while forcing our potential adversaries to reconsider their actions.”

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Bomb Squadron undergoes pre-flight inspections on the flightline prior to takeoff for a CONUS-TO-CONUS mission at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Aug. 1, 2024. The B-1B Lancer is a long-range, multi-role bomber that carries the largest payload of precision guided and unguided munitions in the U.S. Air Force’s inventory. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Alec Carlberg)

The bombers were refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker en route to their Indo-Pacific mission on Aug 1. The Lancers returned to South Dakota by the next day, the squadron’s spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“Rapid deployment and long-range strike are two critical capabilities the B-1 provides to combatant commanders,” said Wasil.

The release stated that the B-1 bombers’ mission was aimed at demonstrating the crew’s readiness to “employ lethal capabilities” and maintaining an operation posture across the globe.

“This bilateral training with our Japanese partners allows our aircrew members to strengthen our interoperability in a wide range of capabilities, including air-to-air combat, air-to-air refueling, air-to-ground strikes, and command and control,” Lt. Col. Sean Murphy, 35th Fighter Squadron commander, said in a release. “By training together, both air forces learn how to effectively coordinate with each other and manage complex operations to achieve our strategic objectives in the region.”

The “complex and realistic training” with the bombers also reinforced the two nations’ ability to cooperate and respond in a joint way. Just last week, the Pentagon announced plans to reorganize U.S. Forces Japan as a joint force headquarters under U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to better coordinate security activities in and around Japan.

“One of the most valuable resources we have is the ability to train on advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures, capitalizing on the strengths of the combined force to meet the demands of the operating environment,” said Col. Andreas Ziegler, director of 7th Air Force Operations and Plans.  

A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Bomb Squadron receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during a CONUS-to-CONUS bomber mission Aug. 1, 2024. Courtesy photo

American bombers have been a regular presence in the Indo-Pacific this year through drills and exercises with regional partners. In June, a B-1 bomber participated in a one-day drill with South Korean F-15Ks, releasing live 500-pound GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) for the first time in seven years. In April, two B-52 Stratofortresses flew across the southwest of Kyushu Island near the East China Sea, alongside fighters from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.

“The more we can participate in multi-lateral training… the better our readiness to defend against any adversary as a combined force,” Zieglar said.

The U.S. is also bolstering advanced fighter presence at Japan’s southwest islands, those closest to Taiwan and the South China Sea. Kadena Air Base will house 36 F-15EX aircraft, a much upgraded version of the F-15, replacing a patchwork of combat jets that has deployed there since older F-15C/D models were retired. The Pentagon is also adding four dozen F-35As to Misawa Air Base to substitute 36 F-16s, making Misawa the first foreign base in the Indo-Pacific to host the fifth-generation fighters.

New Air Force Warrant Officer Selectees Skew Older, Higher-Ranked

New Air Force Warrant Officer Selectees Skew Older, Higher-Ranked

Aug. 7, 2024 | By David Roza

The first new Air Force warrant officer selectees in more than half a century are mostly men in their mid- to late-30s and at the rank of master sergeant and above, according to data provided to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Last week, the Air Force announced 78 selectees to attend the newly created Warrant Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. starting this October. The original goal was 60 selectees in two classes, but officials decided to widen the pool to 78 over three classes after seeing the high quality of the applicants, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The first eight-week class starts in October, the second in January, and the third at some point in the spring of 2025, with the first graduates expected to arrive at their new duty stations in early 2025.

The Air Force and Space Force are the only military services currently without warrant officers, who fill technical rather than leadership functions in the other military branches. But today, the Air Force sees the reintroduction of warrant officers as a way to maintain an edge in two fast-moving technical fields: information technology and cybersecurity. 

“With perishable skills, like cyber, like IT, where the technology is moving so rapidly, folks who are experts in that can’t afford to be sent off to a leadership course for eight or nine months,” Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, said April 9.

More than 490 Airmen sought spots at the school after applications opened in April, of whom about 57 were quickly turned away due to not meeting eligibility requirements or having incomplete applications. Though applicants could come from any career field, they had to meet several qualifications in cybersecurity and information technology. They also had to hold a minimum rank of staff sergeant, one year of active federal service, and be the age of 42 or younger.

The selectees came from a range of career fields. On the Active-duty side, these included cyber defense and cyber warfare, health services management, special investigations, aircraft armament, fusion analysis, and scientific applications. While the Air National Guard list of AFSCs represented by its 12 selectees were not available, the Air Force Reserve’s three primary selectees included two cyber warfare specialists and one cyber defense specialist.

Air Force Warrant Officer Selectees by Component

ComponentSelectees
Active63
Reserve3
Guard12
Total78

Air Force Warrant Officer Selectees By Rank

ComponentE-5E-6E-7E-8
Active821322
Reserve111
Guard66
Total828393

Air Force Warrant Officer Selectees By Gender

ComponentMaleFemale
Active612
Reserve3
Guard12
Total762

Air Force Warrant Officer Selectees By Age*

Component20-2526-2930-3435-3940+
Active1825236
Reserve21
Total1825257
* Data on the age of Air National Guard warrant officer selectees was not available.

Austin: USAF Will Increase Bomber Deployments to Australia

Austin: USAF Will Increase Bomber Deployments to Australia

Aug. 6, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—The U.S. is finalizing an agreement to increase its aircraft presence, particularly its bombers, in Australia, part of a raft of developments the two countries discussed during the U.S.-Australia Ministerial Consultations on Aug. 6.

“We’re … increasing the presence of rotational U.S. forces in Australia,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said at a joint press conference following the meeting. “All this will mean more maritime patrol aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft operating from bases across northern Australia. It will also mean more frequent rotational bomber deployments.”

The U.S. Air Force has regularly deployed bombers and fighters to Australia’s northern bases, including RAAF Tindal and Darwin, for joint training with Australian jets and regional exercises with other partners across the Indo-Pacific. It has been two years, however, since the last USAF Bomber Task Force deployment to Australia.

Earlier this year, Reuters suggested the Pentagon is constructing infrastructure in Australia to project power into the South China Sea amid rising tensions from Beijing. The report stated that documents for a U.S. military tender at RAAF Tindal include plans for facilities to house six B-52 bombers and refueling aircraft.

“The presence of American force posture in our nation provides an enormous opportunity to work with our neighbors in the region,” Australian Minister for Defense Richard Marles said at the press conference. “What this is doing is allowing us to do a much greater range of activities and operations and exercises with our partners, and we spoke about that today—with Japan, for example—where we’ve committed to doing a much greater amount of trilateral exercises between our three countries.”

Austin and Marles met with Japanese defense minister Minoru Kihara in May to announce plans to extend the three nations’ joint F-35 exercises including Bushido Guardian in Japan and Pitch Black in Australia, from 2025 to 2026. The trio agreed to conduct the first combined live-fire air-and-missile exercise in 2027, along with developing a joint air defense architecture to counter growing air and missile threats in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australian and American officials also discussed munitions during the consultations, specifically building and acquiring additional U.S.-manufactured precision-guided weapons, including the Army missiles previously supplied to Ukraine to enhance its long-range attacks.

“We’re doubling down on our defense industrial base cooperation, and this includes supporting Australia’s guided weapons and explosive ordinance enterprise,” said Austin. “By the end of the year, we’re aiming to sign two memorandums of understanding on critical munitions.”

One of the agreements will allow Australia to begin locally manufacturing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, or GMLRS, by 2025. Earlier this year, the Australian Defense Ministry signed a $37.4 million AUD ($24.3 million USD) contract with Lockheed Martin Australia to start production of these precision-guided missiles next year.

Another MOU expected to be signed by December will cover the “co-production, co-sustainment, and co-development” of Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The ammunition represents the Army’s next-generation precision fires weapon, with initial deliveries starting at the end of last year.

“And as we accelerate altogether on PrSM, we agreed to stand up a joint program office in early 2025,” said Austin, without specifying the planned location of the JPO. “Together, these efforts will help ensure that we have the capability and the capacity that we’ll need for decades to come.”

“These are important milestones which will see Australia gain the technology we need to establish a sovereign industry, providing opportunities for a highly-skilled workforce,” Marles said about the U.S. produced weapons back in January.

Air Force Tries Out New Pylon on B-1, Transforming Bomber into ‘Hypersonic Testbed’

Air Force Tries Out New Pylon on B-1, Transforming Bomber into ‘Hypersonic Testbed’

Aug. 6, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force has begun using a new Boeing pylon to test a variety of weapons on the B-1 Lancer, the 412th Test Wing announced this week, and now has a second way—besides the B-52—to test large weapons like hypersonic missiles.

The Load Adaptable Modular (LAM) pylon streamlines weapons tests because its modular attach points can be repositioned, reducing the need for unique pylons and making it possible to test weapons for which an appropriate pylon may not exist. Designers and testers liken it to a “Lego” pylon.

“We met the intent of Congress … and we now have a B-1 hypersonic testbed,” Joseph Stupic, senior materiel leader for the B-1 bomber division, told reporters at the Life Cycle Industry Days conference in Dayton, Ohio, last week. Congress provided additional hypersonic testbed funds last year.

Boeing, which developed the LAM, envisioned the pylon as relieving the B-52 of hypersonic weapon assessments, as test B-52s are fully engaged with evaluating new engines, radars, communications systems, and navigation gear for its B-52J upgrade, as well as the AGM-181 Long-Range Stand-Off nuclear weapon.

Stupik said the Air Force has done a number of tests with the LAM so far, and it has “worked well.” Those included a 2,000-pound GBU-31 test in February, as well as “a bunch of flights” to qualify the LAM for the 5,000-pound GBU-72 Joint Direct Attack Munition advanced penetrator.

“We actually flew it behind a tanker to see what the handling qualities were with a large store on the outside” of a B-1, Stupik said.

Boeing built four LAMs, and Stupik said the Air Force has been using one at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where two B-1Bs are earmarked for flight test.

“We can put it on either one of the test jets out at Edwards. So it’s swappable right now,” he said.

“We’ve only qualified the one hard point,” which is in the location of a former external-carriage hardpoint originally meant for cruise missiles, “but we could put it on either test jet at Edwards,” Stupik said. The hardpoint seems to be the same location on which B-1s carry the AN/AAQ-33 Sniper AT targeting pod.

The LAM can accommodate weapons weighing up to 7,500 pounds, Boeing said in revealing the pylon to reporters at the Oklahoma Air Logistics Complex in May 2023.

The Air Force has seemingly stopped test-flying the large AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), all the flights of which were made off a B-52, but has not yet begun heavy testing of the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), a smaller, air-breathing missile meant to be carried by fighters.

At the time of the LAM’s unveiling, Boeing said a B-1 could carry 24 HACMs internally and 12 on LAMs mounted externally, for a loadout of 36 weapons. Likewise, it could carry 36 AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) in the same configuration. The JASSM is physically and functionally similar to the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), and Air Force officials have increasingly talked about the B-1 taking on an antishipping role in recent years.   

According to an Edwards press release, “while the B-1B was chosen due to aircraft availability at Edwards, the LAM can be modified for attachment to a variety of other aircraft if the need were to arise.” The LAM is “one of several ways teams at Edwards are working with private industry to provide an innovative increase in test infrastructure.”

In recent years, insufficient test infrastructure has been pegged the Government Accountability Office as one of the key limiting factors preventing the Air Force from speedier testing of a tsunami of new aircraft and weapons.

The LAM project “also gives test professionals valuable experience in applying engineering and analysis objectives that could be applied to future programs,” the Edwards release states.

New Weather Satellites Will Start Feeding Data to Warfighters This Fall

New Weather Satellites Will Start Feeding Data to Warfighters This Fall

Aug. 6, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Force expects to finish calibrating and start using its newest weather satellite this fall, the head of Space Systems Command’s space sensing directorate said.

The first Weather System Follow-on—Microwave satellite, built by Ball Aerospace, launched in April and is meant to measure things like ocean surface winds, tropical cyclone intensity, sea ice, soil moisture, and snow depth, as well as low Earth orbit (LEO) energetic charged particles.  

The WSF-M launch came just one month after the Space Force launched an Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Weather Systems (EWS) cubesat built by Orion Space Systems to demonstrate the technology. 

Both programs are meant to replace the aging Defense Meteorological Support Program, which has been in orbit since the 1960s and is scheduled to reach the end of its service life in 2026. 

“Both have had great success quickly getting through their checkouts and starting to produce data and getting the calibrations right,” said Space Sensing director Col. Robert Davis, speaking July 25 at a virtual event held by the National Security Space Association.  

Davis said more launches are to come for both programs—another EWS satellite, this one built by General Atomics, will launch in 2025, followed by a second WSF-M satellite in 2026 and another EWS satellite after that. General Atomics announced July 11 that it has received a contract to build the second operational demonstration EWS satellite. 

“But then we have a question,” Davis said. “What comes after those two disaggregated systems that are replacing DMSP?” Davis sees a future that leverages more weather data from commercial satellite operators. 

Weather satellites are used for everything from flight plans to humanitarian and disaster relief operations, and the importance of accurate weather is seen as growing.

The answer likely lies with exploiting civil and commercial technologies and systems, he suggested. SSC launched a market research study earlier this year and held an industry day in May, and while the results are not finalized, Davis offered an optimistic view on how much commercial can help. 

“There’s a lot of exploit already happening in this area between civil and international. Other things are out there that we might be able to exploit,” he said. “But really what we’re really focused on for this study is, what can we buy? There’s emerging weather capabilities out there in the commercial market. And so we’re very interested in exploring those to see what kind of requirements can we solve for the nation, for the warfighter, with a different approach that provides resiliency and provides economies of scale and whatnot to build this more efficiently.” 

The Space Force has already transferred multiple satellites over from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Davis said the partnership between the two organizations is “great” and “a close collaboration.” 

The question of how much commercial industry can help is not a settled one. The Space Force’s Commercial Space Strategy, released this spring, ranked space-based environmental monitoring as a priority, but fifth on a list of eight mission areas where it believes commercial capabilities exist and it sees a need to integrate them. 

Late last year, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies produced a study arguing that the Space Force should seek help from industry—but should also field its own satellites. 

A conceptional drawing of the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite. Graphic courtesy of Ball Aerospace

“The value of having assured access to DOD-owned and -operated SBEM capabilities cannot be overstated,” wrote the study’s authors, Douglas A. Birkey and Charles Galbreath. “The warfighter cannot risk a commercial provider imposing policies or politics that limit how their systems might be used in combat or whether they can be used in a particular conflict.” 

In another study, a 2023 policy paper by two other Mitchell fellows, Tim Ryan and Scott Brodeu argued that commercial weather satellite data “is not a substitute for a DMSP replacement system, nor does it provide the necessary organic SBEM capabilities DOD requires.”  

Davis agreed that Pentagon-owned systems have great value, but also said commercial capabilities can be adapted to answer the Space Force’s requirements. 

“We completely recognize that it might not be a perfect fit based on what commercial has provided,” Davis said. “But we have to make sure we’re asking those tough questions about what can we do with the commercial and move forward and partner with commercial to tailor their offerings to meet our requirements.”  

Staff Sergeant Promotions Surge, Reversing 5-Year Slump

Staff Sergeant Promotions Surge, Reversing 5-Year Slump

Aug. 6, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

Promotions to staff sergeant rocketed up 42 percent versus a year ago, with 12,827 Senior Airmen selected for promotion to E-5 in the 2024 cycle, the Air Force Personnel Center announced Aug. 5. 

Nearly 23 percent of eligible Senior Airmen earned a promotion, up 5.45 percentage points from a year ago, when the selection rate plunged to just 17.4 percent—the lowest mark since 1997.

The surge does not return promotions to historic highs from 2000-2002 and 2016-2018, when promotions regularly exceeded 15,000 and the selection rate stayed above 40 percent. But it does snap a five-year run of declining selection rates. 

Senior raters gained access to the promotion list Aug. 6 so they can notify Airmen, and the full list will be shared on the Air Force Personnel Center website Aug. 8. 

Promotion volumes and promotion rates for noncommissioned officers are rising generally, indicative of a slow recovery in the wake of changes announced in 2022. Officials were concerned then that Airmen lacking necessary experience were being promoted, leaving a gap in leadership among senior NCOs. 

“The majority of the experience decline was attributable to the Air Force trying to achieve an enlisted force structure with too many higher grades,” Col. James Barger, Air Force Manpower Analysis Agency commander, said in a statement. “We also found that experience levels would continue to decline unless the Air Force lays in more junior Airmen allocations and fewer E-5 to E-7 allocations.”  

Manpower planners then set out to reach a healthier grade distribution by 2025. Now, as the Air Force adjusts, it is tweaking reenlistment incentives to enlarge retention bonuses and expand eligibility.  

The Air Force has now announced promotion statistics for 2024 for most enlisted ranks, including tech sergeant, master sergeant, and senior master sergeant. Results for chief master sergeant have not been released yet. 

Staff Sergeant Promotions

YEARSELECTEDELIGIBLESELECTION RATE
202412,82756,12422.85
20239,00051,71717.40
20229,70645,99121.10
202115,66044,66335.06
202013,86433,34141.58
201914,23529,17948.79
201815,66930,65151.12
201714,18132,00644.31
201616,50639,06442.25
201513,26939,26033.80
20149,40336,73925.59
201311,21234,07832.90
201213,44833,06040.68
201111,33726,54942.70
201013,51828,51047.41
200915,22330,57449.79
200812,20928,09843.45
200715,13036,60841.33
200613,29837,07135.87
200514,61436,40540.14
200413,62533,30640.91
200313,65127,41649.79
200219,44830,88062.98
200120,79332,17064.63
200019,60538,65450.72
199916,05344,10936.39
199811,03348,71922.65
19979,85452,82018.66
19969,54157,52316.59
Air Force Personnel Center data

US Troops Injured in Attack on Air Base in Iraq as White House Warns of Possible Response

US Troops Injured in Attack on Air Base in Iraq as White House Warns of Possible Response

Aug. 5, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

A rocket attack on an air base in Iraq injured several U.S. personnel on Aug. 5, U.S. officials said. 

The episode at Al Asad Air Base occurred amid an uptick in strikes against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks by Iranian-aligned militias and as the U.S. is moving aircraft and ships to the region to help defend Israel against an expected Iranian attack.

Five U.S. service members and two U.S. contractors were injured when two rockets impacted the base around 2 p.m. local time, a U.S. defense official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. All seven Americans are in stable condition, the official said, though two “have been evacuated for further care,” with the rest receiving care on base. “Post-strike assessments are still ongoing,” the official added.

The Pentagon attributed the attack to an Iranian-aligned militia.

Tensions in the Middle East have been running high following the July 30 killing of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, believed to have been conducted by Israel. The same day, the U.S. carried out its first airstrike in months in Iraq to thwart a drone attack by an Iranian-backed militia.

The U.S. has said the two events were unrelated and it had no knowledge of the operation that killed Haniyeh. Still, U.S. officials say they have been bracing for an increase in attacks by Iranian-aligned militias against U.S. troops—and have said they are prepared to respond with force to protect Americans.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the attack on Al Asad during a meeting with their national security team, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, on the Middle East that “focused on the threats posed by Iran and its proxies to Israel and to U.S. service members in the region,” the White House said.

“They discussed the steps we are taking to defend our forces and respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing,” the White House added.

Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and discussed threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iranian-aligned militias on Aug. 5, the Pentagon said.

“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant agreed that today’s Iran-aligned militia attack on U.S. forces stationed at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region,” Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick S. Ryder said in a readout of the call.

The Pentagon says there have been over 180 attacks by Iranian-backed militias on U.S. troops in Iraq, Jordan, and Israel since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel in October sparked region-wide violence. Three Soldiers were killed in a January attack on Tower 22 in Jordan, which supports the Al Tanf U.S. outpost in eastern Syria.

There are an estimated 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria supporting the fight against the Islamic State group, as well as 4,000 American service members throughout Jordan.

The U.S. launched a major retaliatory strike in early February with fighters and B-1 bombers against 85 targets in Iraq and Syria affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian-aligned militias. This airstrikes largely accomplished the Pentagon’s goal to stoping the attacks on U.S. and led to a provide of relative calm with only sporadic incident. Now U.S. officials are expecting those attacks to likely increase.

Two rockets were fired at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on July 25, U.S. defense officials previously told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The Aug. 5 attack appeared to be carried out by two 122mm rockets fired from a truck launcher, according to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Militia Spotlight.

The U.S. is deploying F-22 fighters and warships and may be increasing land-based air defenses as it prepares for a possible Iranian attack on Israel and potential region-wide escalation by Iran’s network for proxy groups.

Biden and Harris were briefed on “U.S. military efforts to support the defense of Israel should it be attacked again” and “continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tension and to bring the ceasefire and hostage release deal [between Hamas and Israel] to a conclusion,” the White House said.

Iran attacked Israel on April 13 with roughly 300 missiles, rockets, and drones. Israel shot down many of the projectiles, while U.S. F-15Es and F-16s also shot down more than 80 Iranian drones and U.S. warships intercepted multiple ballistic missiles. A U.S. Patriot surface-to-air system in Erbil, Iraq, also took down a missile.

Al Asad is equipped with an advanced Patriot battery and other air defense systems but has repeatedly come under attack in strikes that injured Americans. 

“Of course, we’re postured to always protect our forces in the region,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Aug. 5.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Aug. 6 with additional details.

AFSOC Turns Rural Highway into Runway for Historic AC-130J Touchdown

AFSOC Turns Rural Highway into Runway for Historic AC-130J Touchdown

Aug. 5, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Air Force transformed a public freeway into a runway over the weekend, landing various tanker, cargo, and special operations aircraft on the road, including the service’s first-ever touchdown of an AC-130J Ghostrider on a U.S. roadway.

Air Force Special Operations Command landed and took off with an AC-130J, MC-130J, and C-146A on one of Arkansas’ major north-south freeways, Highway 63, on Aug 4. The Air National Guard then took over at the location for a C-130H Hercules touchdown, a spokesperson for the 1st Special Operations Wing told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“This exercise serves as a significant milestone for AFSOC, demonstrating our ability to operate in diverse and austere environments,” Tech. Sgt. Robert Gallagher of the AFSOC Air Commando Development Center, lead planner for the highway landings, said in a statement.

After the C-146A Wolfhound and MC-130J Commando II from the 492nd Special Operations Wing arrived on the highway, the crew established a setup for rapid refueling and arming with portable tanks, known as a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP). This enabled the Ghostrider to land, refuel, rearm, and take off again from the five-lane highway.

The AC-130J, AFSOC’s primary close air support and combat mission platform, is a heavily modified C-130J Super Hercules designed for precision fire support. The MC-130J Commando II, another variant of the Super Hercules, is a cargo aircraft equipped with advanced avionics, defensive systems, and air refueling capabilities.

“By landing an AC-130J on a highway and conducting FARP, we’re proving our ability to operate in austere and unique environments,” said Col. Patrick Dierig, 1st Special Operations Wing commander, in the statement. “It shows our commitment to maintaining operational flexibility and readiness, ensuring we can deliver decisive airpower whenever and wherever it’s needed.”

The preparation included securing the landing zone in advance by cooperating with local law enforcement, the spokesperson added.

“The team worked with Craighead County and Bono Sheriff’s Department to put up barriers, as the law enforcement closed off U.S. 63 and a portion of 230,” the spokesperson said. “They also work with the Arkansas Department of Transportation as well.”

Afterwards, the Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Wing stepped in to execute takeoffs and landings with a C-130H transport aircraft on the site. The training saw eight pilots maneuvering the cargo aircraft on an unconventional runway in preparation for humanitarian and disaster relief missions. Col. Jay Geaney, Arkansas Air National Guard director of staff and a C-130H pilot, said the exercise “validated our proof of concept as a capability,” in an email statement to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The freeway touchdown for AFSOC is part of the ongoing exercise Emerald Warrior, taking place from July 29 to Aug. 18, across Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, and Puerto Rico. The training is meant to advance the service’s push for Agile Combat Employment.

“Emerald Warrior FTX II demonstrates to our adversaries that we can meet them anytime, any place, anywhere, without the need for traditional runways to project air power,” added Dierig.

The Air Force conducted similar highway landings in Michigan in 2022 with various aircraft, including the A-10, U-28A, C-145, C-146, and MC-12W. This marked the first integrated combat turn of an A-10 on a U.S. highway, where Airmen swiftly refueled and rearmed the aircraft while the engines were still running, allowing the jet to take off again as quickly as possible.

Multiple Air Force Bases Move Aircraft Out of Tropical Storm Debby’s Way

Multiple Air Force Bases Move Aircraft Out of Tropical Storm Debby’s Way

Aug. 5, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Air Force units from Florida through the Carolinas moved their aircraft out of harm’s way Aug. 4 and 5, hoping to avoid the wind and especially flood waters expected with Tropical Storm Debby, which is expected to dump as much as 30 inches of rain on some southern areas over the next few days.

Debby roared ashore in Florida early Aug. 1 as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds in excess of 75 miles per hour, pushing a 6-10-foot storm surge in Florida’s Big Bend area. But the National Weather Service swiftly downgraded the cyclone to a Tropical Storm and warned that its greatest peril would be as a slow-moving rainmaker, dumping tens of inches of rain as it slowly marched across northern Florida and southern Georgia to the Atlantic Ocean. There it is expected to strengthen and return inland, making its way north through central North Carolina and Virginia through the end of the week.

The 71st Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.—in the storm’s centerline path—moved its MC-130J Combat King aircraft out of danger on Aug. 4 because there wasn’t sufficient hangar space to shelter them.

Some 23 of Moody’s 76th Fighter Squadron A-10s also relocated to Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., as were four HC-130Js, while some aircraft were secured on-base. A Moody press release said some wings have memoranda of understanding about where they will move their aircraft in case of catastrophic weather. The aircraft are set to return after Aug. 6.

Joint Base Charleston, S.C., dispatched some of its C-17s to undisclosed locations and fueled most of its others as it prepared for heavy weather. The 315th Airlift Wing warned base personnel that “Hurricane/Tropical Storm Debby is likely to move very slowly over/around our area through mid-to-late week. [It] has the potential to bring historic rainfall (10-20 inches are possible with some areas getting as much as 30 inches) and areas of catastrophic flooding to the southeast and our local Charleston area.”

The wing also warned that “tropical storm-force winds, storm surge and tornadoes are possible” and that flooding of the nearby Ashley and Cooper Rivers “could inhibit reviver efforts into next week and beyond.” It also warned of “2-4 feet of storm surge inundation over normally dry tidal/near-tidal regions.”

MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., issued a statement on Facebook that it probably would not evacuate any personnel as a result of the storm, but it did move its KC-135 tankers to an undisclosed location Aug. 4, to return when conditions are deemed safe. Other aircraft at MacDill were kept on base.

Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base, and Hurlburt Field all expect no impact from Debby, which was moving well to their east. They planned to operate normally this week.

Other bases along the storm’s path either could not be reached for comment or did not publish storm plans. Those that acknowledged the storm referred personnel to hurricane preparedness pages.   

Air Force installations frequently choose to evacuate their aircraft in advance of hurricanes and other storms.