US Air Force

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A Female Air Force Pilot Makes History

Capt. Emily Thompson flew an F-35 into combat

(Newser) - "It's a pretty big honor." So said Capt. Emily Thompson after becoming the first woman to fly a stealth fighter jet into combat, Fox News reports. The Air Force says Thompson, call sign "Banzai," flew the F-35A Lightning II in a combat sortie and was...

Senate Unanimously Confirms First Black Service Chief

Gen. Charles Brown is new Air Force chief of staff

(Newser) - The Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed Gen. Charles Brown Jr. as chief of staff of the US Air Force, making him the first black officer to lead one of the nation's military services. Vice President Mike Pence took the unusual step of presiding over the vote, something he usually...

Shooting at Air Base Leaves 2 Service Members Dead

Investigation underway at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota

(Newser) - A shooting early Monday has left two airmen dead at the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. The shooting occurred at 4:30am, according to a military statement, per the AP . The incident remains under investigation, but officials said there's no risk to other personnel. Additional details...

Air Force Officially Drops Height Requirement
Air Force Scraps
Pilot Height Rule
May 25, 2020 2:06 PM CDT

Air Force Scraps Pilot Height Rule

It's a 'huge win' for women, official says

(Newser) - Would-be aviators no longer need to worry about being too short or too tall for the Air Force. Officials say the Air Force height requirement has been scrapped and applicants will now go through an "anthropometric screening process" to determine what aircraft they can safely fly, CBS reports. Under...

US Air Force: Yep, We Bombed Japan by Mistake

And here's how it happened

(Newser) - Nothing like having a 500-pound bomb land on your property—but that's what someone experienced in Japan last year. A US Air Force F-16 fighter was flying a training mission in November when the pilot dropped a GBU-12 Paveway II bomb near Daughon Bombing Range in Aomori Prefecture, Popular ...

US on Confusing Afghanistan Plane Crash: It Was Ours

US military says it was a US Air Force plane and there's no indication it was shot down

(Newser) - After a flurry of confusing reports about a downed plane in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, the US military has confirmed it was a US Air Force plane that crashed. The rep for US forces in Afghanistan says the Bombardier E-11A crashed in the Ghazni province, the AP reports. US officials...

Thousands Show Up to Honor 'Unaccompanied Veteran'

Texas cemetery urged public to attend funeral of Air Force vet

(Newser) - When the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery announced that 72-year-old Joseph Walker was to be buried as an "unaccompanied veteran," with nobody present but cemetery workers, the response was overwhelming. Roads around the cemetery were jammed and the service had to start late to accommodate the estimated 2,...

West Point Prank Injures Air Force Mascot

Gyrfalcon was returned with bloodied wings

(Newser) - The United States Military Academy at West Point has apologized for a "prank" that injured the Air Force Academy's official mascot. Aurora, a 22-year-old white gyrfalcon, suffered injuries initially thought to be life-threatening after she was abducted along with another bird ahead of Saturday's annual Army-Air Force...

'This Is Intolerable': Air Force Fires Woman in Viral Video

Tabitha Duncan, 20, is getting booted from the Air Force

(Newser) - A Missouri woman who was booted from the Air Force for appearing in a racist Snapchat video says she "was drunk" and needs "to seek help," the Air Force Times reports. Tabitha Duncan, 20, appeared in the recent video driving along a dark road with others who...

Air Force Apologizes for Yanny-Laurel Tweet

Linking viral video to Afghanistan was 'in poor taste'

(Newser) - The Air Force has apologized for bringing the "Laurel or Yanny" debate into an update on a battle in Afghanistan. "Taliban Forces in Farah city #Afghanistan would much rather have heard #Yanny or #Laurel than the deafening #BRRRT they got courtesy of our #A10," the Air Force...

FBI: Why Did Guy Drive Flaming Van Into Air Force Base?

Personnel initially thought it was an accident

(Newser) - Investigators are working around the clock as they struggle to determine why a man with no apparent ties to terrorism drove a flaming minivan full of propane tanks and gasoline cans through the main gate of a major Northern California Air Force Base this week, the AP reports. Hafiz Kazi,...

As 'Vigilant Ace' Begins, North Korea Has Harsh Words

US, South Korea launch biggest-ever combined air exercises

(Newser) - Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever combined air force exercise. The war games come a week after North Korea test-fired its most powerful missile ever , an ICBM that may be able to target the eastern...

Trump Order Lifts Limits on Military 'Unretirements'

Move addresses serious Air Force pilot shortage

(Newser) - A lot of retired Air Force pilots are likely to find themselves called back to service under an executive order signed by President Trump Friday. The order lifts limits on calling retired military officers back to service under the terms of the state of national emergency that has been in...

US Bombers Buzz North Korea in Show of Force

Move was unprecedented in 21st century

(Newser) - In a move unprecedented in recent years, US Air Force bombers and fighter jets flew into international airspace east of North Korea on Saturday, Reuters reports. The Pentagon says it was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea the US has flown in the 21st...

Air Force Pilot With 6 Degrees Killed in Nevada Crash

Lt. Col. Eric Schultz died Tuesday

(Newser) - A US Air Force pilot has died of injuries suffered in an aircraft crash at a training range about 100 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada, base officials say. A brief statement released Friday by Nellis officials said the crash that killed Lt. Col. Eric Schultz...

SpaceX Sends Mysterious Air Force Minishuttle Into Orbit

It's the 5th minishuttle flight, but their missions remain a secret

(Newser) - SpaceX launched the Air Force's super-secret space shuttle on Thursday, a technology tester capable of spending years in orbit, the AP reports. The unmanned Falcon rocket blasted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, as schools and businesses boarded up for Hurricane Irma. It's the fifth flight for...

Russian Jet Comes so Close to US Jet Pilot Can Be Seen

US releases photos of 'unsafe" Russian jet intercept

(Newser) - The US European Command has released dramatic photos of a Russian jet coming within a few feet of a US Air Force reconnaissance jet over the Baltic Sea in a maneuver that has been criticized as unsafe. The AP reports the photographs released Friday show the Russian SU-27 coming so...

Base Grounds F-35s After Pilots Starved of Oxygen

Luke Air Force Base in Arizona is investigating

(Newser) - The Air Force has temporarily stopped flying F-35 fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona in response to a series of incidents in which pilots reported symptoms of hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, reports the AP . Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff said the grounding of 55 of the...

Air Force Launches Missile That Could Carry Nuke Across World

It's the second such launch in 7 days

(Newser) - An unarmed missile capable of sending a nuclear bomb across the world was launched Wednesday from a California military base amid rising tensions between the US and North Korea. The unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile blasted off from a silo at 12:02am from Vandenberg Air Force Base and...

Osan Air Base Should Be on Your Radar. It's on North Korea's

It's fewer than 50 miles from the DMZ, and thousands of Americans are there

(Newser) - Osan Air Base may not be a name you're familiar with, but it's a US Air Force base that sits in a prime location: fewer than 50 miles from the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea. If that's not enough to get your attention, this...

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