US bomb designed to hit targets like Iran underground nuclear sites briefly reappears amid tensions
May 23, 2023 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As tensions with Iran have escalated over its nuclear program, the U.S. military this month posted pictures of a powerful bomb designed to penetrate deep into the earth and destroy underground facilities that could be used to enrich uranium.
Pentagon releases pilot’s close-up photo of Chinese balloon
February 22, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A U-2 pilot flying high above the Chinese spy balloon took a close-up photo of the large white orb just a day before the Air Force shot it down off the South Carolina coast.
Nuclear strike chief seeks cancer review of missile crews
January 28, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The top Air Force general in charge of the nation's air- and ground-launched nuclear missiles has requested an official investigation into the number of airmen who are reporting blood cancer diagnoses after serving at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
Ellsworth Air Force Base bomber set for Rose Bowl flyovers
December 27, 2022 GMTRAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A bomber out of Ellsworth Air Force Base is scheduled to perform a Rose Bowl flyover next week.
The Rapid City Journal reported Tuesday that the B-1B Lancer will fly over the Tournament of Roses parade and the Rose Bowl football game in Pasadena, California, on Jan.
City in Oklahoma says Air Force charter jet damaged runway
December 23, 2022 GMTSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — A military cargo jet carrying the U.S. Air Force Academy women's basketball team damaged a regional airport runway when it allegedly landed without prior authorization in Stillwater, Oklahoma, city officials said Thursday.
Joseph Kittinger, who set longtime parachute record, dies
December 10, 2022 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Retired Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, whose 1960 parachute jump from almost 20 miles (32 kilometers) above the Earth stood as a world record for more than 50 years, died Friday in Florida.
Unmanned, solar-powered US space plane back after 908 days
November 12, 2022 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An unmanned U.S. military space plane landed early Saturday after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and conducting science experiments.
The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Ejected pilot safe after F-35 crash at Utah Air Force base
October 20, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A pilot who was ejected when an F-35 fighter jet he was flying crashed at a U.S. Air Force base in Utah didn't suffer any serious injuries, officials said Thursday.
The pilot was released after being taken to a hospital Wednesday night for observation, said Col.
US, Canada send armored vehicles to bolster Haiti’s police
October 16, 2022 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. and Canada sent armored vehicles and other supplies to Haiti on Saturday to help police fight a powerful gang amid a pending request from the Haitian government for the immediate deployment of foreign troops.
US B-52 bombers fly over Middle East amid tensions with Iran
September 5, 2022 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States military said Monday it flew a pair of nuclear-capable B-52 long-distance bombers over the Middle East in a show of force, the latest such mission in the region as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran.
Air Force members to drive Alaska base school buses
August 29, 2022 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Active duty members of the U.S. Air Force are set to help drive school buses for students at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage as the school district works to address a shortage of drivers.
In sign of support, US bombers fly over Dubrovnik, Balkans
August 22, 2022 GMTDUBROVNIK, Croatia (AP) — A pair of U.S. Air Force B52 strategic bombers on Monday flew low over the Croatian resort of Dubrovnik and three other NATO-member states in the region as a sign of support amid the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
US Air Force targeted in ‘propaganda attack’ in Kuwait
August 20, 2022 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. Air Force said Saturday it was the subject of a “propaganda attack” by a previously unheard-of Iraqi militant group that falsely claimed it had launched a drone attack targeting American troops at an air base in Kuwait.
US Air Force test launches Minuteman 3 missile
August 16, 2022 GMTVANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from California early Tuesday in a routine test of the weapon system, the U.S. Air Force said.
US House Speaker Pelosi arrives in Taiwan, defying Beijing
August 2, 2022 GMTTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China, which quickly announced that it would conduct military maneuvers in retaliation for her presence.
Burgum calls for security review of Chinese firm’s project
July 26, 2022 GMTBISMARCK, N.D, (AP) — Gov. Doug Burgum is pressing federal officials to expedite a review of a Chinese company’s purchase of land in North Dakota for a wet corn milling plant to ensure it is not detrimental to national security.
Air Force official expects Iran to resume attacks on US
July 21, 2022 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The top U.S. Air Force general in the Middle East warned on Thursday that Iran-backed militias could resume attacks in the region against the United States and its allies as tensions rise — assaults that could lead to a new Mideast escalation.
Sheriff: Beacon led team to man mauled by grizzly in Wyoming
June 29, 2022 GMTMEETEETSE, Wyo. (AP) — A distress signal initially thought to be from a crashed aircraft led searchers to a backpacker who'd been mauled by a grizzly bear in a remote Wyoming wilderness, according to sheriff's officials.
Taiwanese F-16 fighter makes emergency landing in Hawaii
June 8, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A Taiwanese F-16 fighter jet made an emergency landing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii on Monday afternoon, and the U.S. Air Force pilot who was flying the aircraft was taken to the hospital for treatment, U.S.
Air Force to further investigate chemicals at closed base.
June 6, 2022 GMTBANGOR, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Air Force plans to test multiple sites at the former Loring Air Force Base for contamination by so-called forever chemicals.
Officials are concerned that PFAS contamination from firefighting foam used on Loring's runway may have spread elsewhere.
41-year sentence for Ex-Air Force sergeant who killed guard
June 3, 2022 GMTOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A former U.S. Air Force staff sergeant and alleged member of the “boogaloo” extremist movement was sentenced to 41 years in prison Friday for the fatal shooting of a federal security officer in the San Francisco Bay Area amid large 2020 protests against police brutality.
Space Command base change process was flawed, report says
June 2, 2022 GMTDENVER (AP) — The U.S. Air Force abruptly changed its procedures to select a permanent headquarters for the U.S. Space Command during the election year of 2020, which led to it choosing heavily Republican Alabama over Democrat-dominated Colorado after a White House meeting, according to a report from the General Accounting Office that was made public Thursday.
3 Air Force cadets who refused vaccine won’t be commissioned
May 21, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Three cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy who have refused the COVID-19 vaccine will not be commissioned as military officers but will graduate with bachelor's degrees, the academy said Saturday.
Ex-Air Force officer sentenced for transporting child porn
May 6, 2022 GMTGREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A former U.S. Air Force officer has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to moving videos of child pornography from Maryland to New York, a federal prosecutor said.
Judge blocks Air Force discipline over vaccine objections
April 4, 2022 GMTTOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the military from disciplining a dozen U.S. Air Force officers who are asking for religious exemptions to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine.
The officers, mostly from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, along with a handful of airmen and reservists, filed a lawsuit in February after their exemption requests were denied.
Air Force officers sue over religious exemption denials
February 24, 2022 GMTToledo, Ohio (AP) — A dozen U.S. Air Force officers have filed a lawsuit against the federal government after the military denied their religious exemptions to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine.
The officers, mostly from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, along with a handful of airmen and reservists, accused the Air Force of using a double standard when approving the requests.
Former teacher sentenced to probation on child porn charges
February 20, 2022 GMTMINOT, N.D. (AP) — A former Minot elementary teacher and retired U.S. Air Force member has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation on child pornography charges.
Richard Owen Ditmars, 47, Minot, was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison, all suspended but the 30 days he already served in the Ward County Jail, for felony child pornography.
Ex-Air Force sergeant pleads guilty to killing federal guard
February 12, 2022 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former U.S. Air Force staff sergeant and alleged member of the “boogaloo” extremist movement pleaded guilty Friday in the fatal shooting of a federal security officer in the San Francisco Bay Area amid large 2020 protests against police brutality.
Fighter jet flown by contractor crashes in Arizona; pilot OK
February 11, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — A fighter jet operated by a military contractor crashed outside Phoenix on Thursday, but the pilot ejected safely and no one on the ground was hurt, a spokesman for the contractor and U.S.
Ex-Air Force sergeant to change plea in officer killing
February 8, 2022 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former U.S. Air Force sergeant plans to change his not guilty plea in the fatal shooting of a federal security officer in Northern California during 2020 protests against police brutality, court records filed Monday showed.
Air Force ordered to pay more than $230M in church shooting
February 8, 2022 GMTThe U.S. Air Force must pay more than $230 million in damages to survivors and victims’ families of a 2017 Texas church massacre for failing to flag a conviction that might have kept the gunman from legally buying the weapon used in the shooting, a federal judge ruled in San Antonio on Monday.
U.S. airborne infantry troops arrive in Poland amid tensions
February 6, 2022 GMTRZESZOW-JASIONKA, Poland (AP) — A few dozen elite U.S troops and equipment were seen landing Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, following President Joe Biden's orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Air Force launches study of changes to flight training areas
February 2, 2022 GMTTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force is launching an environmental impact study of proposed changes to large flight training areas in rural Arizona to allow military aircraft to fly lower, practice later at night and cover more territory.
Partners bid to build refueling tankers in Alabama, Georgia
January 31, 2022 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Lockheed Martin Corp. said Monday it would seek to build new aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force, using Airbus jets assembled in Alabama and converting them for military use in Georgia.
Air Force officer pleads guilty to transporting child porn
January 27, 2022 GMTGREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A U.S. Air Force officer has pleaded guilty to moving videos of child pornography from Maryland to New York, a federal prosecutor said.
Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for Maryland, said in a news release that 1st Lt.
Guam group fights Air Force plan to blow up bombs, munitions
January 26, 2022 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A community group on Guam is challenging the U.S. Air Force's plans to blow up bombs and other waste munitions at a base on the U.S. territory, saying it could contaminate water supplies and threaten endangered species.
Air Force: Exercise expected to produce extra aircraft noise
January 22, 2022 GMTNELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has said southern Nevada residents can expect increased aircraft noise from a scheduled training exercise that will involve nearly 100 aircraft, with nighttime takeoffs planned to allow air crews to train for combat operations conducted at night.
Training trip takes Thunderbirds to New Mexico, Arizona
January 20, 2022 GMTTRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) — The Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force's aerial demonstration squadron, have begun a month-long training trip to New Mexico and Arizona in preparation for their 2022 show season.
India says it successfully test-fires anti-satellite weapon
March 28, 2019 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — India successfully test-fired an anti-satellite weapon Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an unexpected announcement of military advancement that was broadcast live just weeks before a general election.