A contingent of nearly 70 airmen and a small force of A-10s arrived at Amari AB, Estonia, to train with Estonian personnel, announced Air Force officials. The A-10s touched down at Amari on May 1, while support airmen came in on the previous day. This is the latest stop for airmen and A-10s from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., after deploying in early February to Spangdahlem AB, Germany, on a 90-day tour. This expeditionary force—12 A-10s and some 300 airmen in all—is serving as a theater security package, bolstering the number of US attack aircraft in Europe and reassuring allies of the US commitment to European security in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine and provocative acts elsewhere. The A-10s have also trained at Namest Air Base in the Czech Republic and Campia Turzii, Romania, during this deployment.
An Air Force F-16 pilot designed a collapsible ladder that weighs just six pounds and folds into the unused cockpit map case.