Airmen in the Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq have handed over control of more Iraqi airspace to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority. Iraqi air controllers, operating from Baghdad International Airport, are now in charge of the airspace 15,000 feet and above in the nation’s Kirkuk sector—the northern third of Iraq. Previously, the Iraqis had responsibility only for the airspace about 24,000 feet in that sector, while USAF airmen controlled air traffic below that altitude from Kirkuk Air Base. Maj. Jamie Flanders, ACCE-I airspace planner, called the Sept. 1 handover “a very historic occasion.” Come Nov. 1, control of the airspace above 15,000 feet in Iraq’s two other air sectors is also expected to pass to the Iraqis. In 2011, ICAA is expected to assume control of all Iraqi airspace. USAF airmen and US contractors have been training the Iraqis. (Baghdad report by SSgt. Sanjay Allen)
Boeing Claims Progress on T-7 and Other Challenged Programs
April 25, 2025
Boeing appears to have become to overcome the problems that led to billions in losses on fixed-price defense contracts in recent years, point the company back toward profitabily, says Boeing president and CEO Kelly Ortberg.