All articles tagged with #us air force
A man in his 40s entered Shannon Airport’s restricted airside area, climbed onto a US Air Force C-130 Hercules on a remote taxiway, and damaged the fuselage with an implement (possibly an axe). Airport operations were briefly halted with two departures delayed and an arriving Lourdes flight held; he was detained by Gardaí and investigations are ongoing.
An opinion piece argues the U.S. ABM fleet (E-2/E-3/E-7) is stretched thin by aging airframes, maintenance strain, and heavy demand from operations like Epic Fury. It criticizes budget moves to cancel ABM programs in favor of unproven options and urges funding for new ABM aircraft and updated radars, plus maintenance of pilot/crewmember pipelines, to preserve reliable early warning and battle management for high-threat theaters.
An Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia wounded at least 10 U.S. troops (two seriously) and damaged at least two U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft, underscoring Iran’s ongoing threat despite weeks of military activity in the region.
The Pentagon identified six U.S. service members—ages 28 to 38—from two air refueling wings who were killed when a KC-135 tanker crashed in western Iraq while supporting operations related to Iran; the crash is described as an apparent midair collision with another KC-135.
All six crew members aboard a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker were killed when it crashed in western Iraq during operations against Iran; officials say the incident was not caused by hostile or friendly fire, and the other KC-135 involved landed safely. The death toll in Operation Epic Fury rises to at least 13 US service members, with about 140 wounded. The KC-135 is a long-serving refueling aircraft, and the crash prompts ongoing investigation into its cause and safety practices.
U.S. officials say Kuwaiti air defenses accidentally shot down three American F-15E jets amid a broader Iranian assault; all six crew members ejected safely and are in stable condition as the incident is investigated.
Amid tensions with Iran, the U.S. Air Force has deployed six of 16 E-3 Sentry AWACS to Europe and likely the Middle East, signaling heavy reliance on an aging, limited fleet and ongoing readiness gaps. The move comes as lawmakers debated replacing the E-3s with E-7 Wedgetails, a program stalled for years, raising concerns about coverage—especially in the Indo-Pacific—and prompting consideration of space-based sensing as a long-term substitute.
One of the USAF's C-32A VIP jets (serial 99-0003) was spotted at Majors Airport in Greenville, TX wearing a red, white and blue paint scheme echoing Trump’s proposed VC-25B Air Force One livery, part of a broader move to standardize executive-airlift livery across U.S. government jets, including DHS/Gulfstream G700 LRCCA aircraft. The Air Force continues upgrading the C-32 fleet and has discussed replacing them with a common platform, while the VC-25 program evolves toward future variants; it remains to be seen how widely the scheme will be adopted across the fleet.
Iranian MP Mojtaba Zarei urged Jordanians to seize the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and capture US personnel after Tehran threatened to strike the base with missiles, tying the base to countering Iranian missiles during the Israel-Iran war. The base hosts Royal Jordanian and US aircraft; the remark comes as US-Iran tensions rise ahead of talks in Istanbul between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The U.S. is quietly repositioning refueling KC-135 aircraft and adjusting personnel at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in a precautionary posture amid tensions with Iran. Officials say it is a readiness measure, not an evacuation, with the base still hosting about 10,000 U.S. troops. The movements echo previous patterns seen before military action, and regional advisories and heightened defense watch remain in effect as the security situation in the Gulf stays volatile.
A JetBlue flight from Curaçao to New York nearly collided with a US Air Force tanker near Venezuela, with the pilot blaming the military plane for crossing their path without transponder activation, raising concerns amid increased US military activity in the region.
A JetBlue flight from Curaçao nearly collided with a US Air Force refueling tanker near Venezuela, with the pilot blaming the military plane for crossing their path and not having its transponder on, prompting reports to authorities amid increased US military activity in the region.
A US Air Force F-16 pilot, Lt. Col William Parks, survived 15 minutes of enemy missile fire during a Middle East mission by executing extreme high-G turns and deploying countermeasures, earning the Silver Star Medal for his bravery and skill in avoiding multiple missile hits while supporting operations against Houthi rebels.
Anduril's YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft conducted its first flight test in California, marking a significant step in the U.S. Air Force's initiative to develop AI-driven, semi-autonomous drone wingmen to operate alongside manned fighters, with the goal of enhancing combat capabilities and extending the reach of the fighter fleet.
Anduril's YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft has begun flight testing, marking a rapid development from design to flight in just 556 days, with a focus on autonomy, mass production, and collaboration with the U.S. Air Force to enhance air superiority and adapt to evolving threats.