For Aviano Air Base’s 555th Fighter Squadron, Thracian Viper 20 is about more than just training. The multilateral exercise, to which the squadron sent Airmen and six F-16s, boosts “operational capacity and capability," as well as interoperability with Bulgaria, Maj. Rohan Naldrett-Jays, the squadron’s chief ...
The head of U.S. Air Forces in Europe is “convinced” the command will base F-35As at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., on time in late 2021, despite some delays to military construction and a possible slowdown in F-35 deliveries because of COVID-19. “I am clear eyed that ...
More than 50 aircraft, including four different fighter types from three countries and two U.S. services, trained together in a large force exercise over the North Sea on Sept. 10. Exercise Point Blank 20-04 included U.S. Air Force F-16s from the 510th and 555th Fighter ...
U.S. and European military forces will try to push the boundaries of how the alliance responds in the face of air and missile threats during the “Astral Knight” exercise this month. The second annual Air Force-led exercise hopes to mirror the Pentagon’s broader push to ...
Three USAF B-52s flew through the Baltic Sea region on Aug. 31, training with aircraft from six nations and flying over Latvia just days after a Russian aircraft reportedly violated NATO airspace to intercept another B-52. During the Aug. 31 flight, the B-52s, which are ...
A Russian fighter jet pursuing an Air Force B-52 violated Danish air space on Aug. 28, the same day a separate set of Russian fighters intercepted another B-52 in a manner U.S. officials say was unprofessional and unsafe. The B-52, deployed to Europe as part ...
The Air Force’s push for deployable, multi-capable Airmen has extended to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, a base on the southern flank of NATO, near Russia’s doorstep. Agile Combat Employment has taken hold service -wide, with wings and major commands exercising how it can train one ...
Six B-52s on Aug. 28 overflew all North Atlantic Treaty Organization member nations, both in Europe and in North America, as part of a mission called “Allied Sky” that was designed to “demonstrate NATO solidarity.” Four B-52s deployed to RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, flew over ...
Maj. Gen. Barry R. Cornish took command of 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) during an Aug. 21 change of command ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Cornish, previously the commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan and commander of NATO ...
Six B-52s trained alongside Royal Norwegian fighters in Northern Norway shortly after they deployed to Europe on Aug. 22. The task forces of B-52s deployed to RAF Fairford, England, from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., for a “long-planned training mission ...
Lt. Gen. David W. Allvin is on deck to become the Air Force’s next vice chief of staff, the Pentagon announced Aug. 14. President Donald J. Trump nominated Allvin to succeed Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson, who has been the Air Force’s second-highest officer since ...
RAF Mildenhall, U.K., will remain open and keep its American refueling and special operations missions through the 2020s, reversing the Pentagon’s original 2015 plan to consolidate bases and infrastructure across Europe. The Pentagon last week announced broad plans to downsize the troop presence in Germany, ...