US Air Force (USAF)

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USAF's third F-15EX Eagle II takes flight ahead of delivery

Boeing completed the first flight of the third F-15EX Eagle II for the USAF on October 27, some ten weeks after the new fighter was rolled off the assembly line. That day, two sorties were flown from the firm’s facility at St Louis Lambert International Airport in St Louis, Missouri

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USAF’s 9th ERS swaps Dragons at Fairford

Two U-2S Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft assigned to the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron – a component of the USAF’s 9th Reconnaissance Wing – arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK, on November 3 for the unit’s biannual rotation to and from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, and Beale AFB, California

Omega KDC-10 tanker refuels deployed USAF F-16Cs in new first

The USAF recently conducted the first commercial air-to-air refuelling of F-16C Fighting Falcon fighters while supporting a deployment in the Indo-Pacific theatre

Kadena Air Base welcomes first of several USAF MQ-9As

On October 13, Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, greeted the first of several USAF-operated MQ-9A Reaper unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) that are scheduled to deploy to the base, which is also referred to as the ‘Keystone of the Pacific’

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USAF’s new B-21 Raider stealth bomber soars into American skies

The USAF and Northrop Grumman marked a major key milestone in the development and testing of the B-21 Raider on November 10, when the new sixth-generation stealth bomber – which is intended to be the successor to both the B-1B Lancer and B-2A Spirit – graced American skies for the first time

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US Air Force Lockheed Constellations: Over three decades of service 

In the April 2014 issue of Aviation News, Bob Archer told the story of Lockheed Constellations in US Air Force service.

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Wake turbulence cited as cause of USAF F-35A crash at Hill AFB

Full details of the Accident Investigation Board report into the loss of USAF F-35A Lightning II (15-5197/HL) from the 388th FW's 421st FS 'Black Widows' at Hill AFB, Utah, on October 19, 2022, have now been published

F-16Cs return to USAF’s ‘Blacksnakes’ after 13-year absence

The Indiana ANG’s 122nd Fighter Wing celebrated the arrival of the first F-16C Block 40 Fighting Falcons for the 163rd Fighter Squadron ‘Blacksnakes’ on October 23

USAF B-1Bs return to RAF Fairford amid rising global tensions

Four B-1B Lancers and more than 100 personnel from the USAF’s 7th Bomb Wing (BW) at Dyess AFB, Texas, have deployed to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK, as part of the long-planned Bomber Task Force-Europe 24-1 deployment

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Boeing suffers over $2bn loss in producing the USAF's next 'Air Force One’

Cost overruns on its project to provide the USAF with two new Presidential transports have caused Boeing to declare an additional $482m loss on the programme, bringing the firm’s total loss on the project to $2.4bn