Fightersweep

Oh, the queep. The ever-present, life-sucking, hope-smashing bane of (in this case) tactical aviation. We have discussed this scurge at great length, as it is one of the biggest factors driving immensely-talented aviators out of the military. In a bold statement, Major General Michael Fortney, Vice Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, has put […]

The U.S.S. William P. Lawrence, a US Navy guided missile destroyer, sailed within twelve nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef in the hotly-contested Spratly Islands, and drew a less-than-neighborly response. China, in response to the ship’s passing, scrambled three ships and two fighter jets in an attempted to run off the Lawrence, an Arleigh Burke-class […]

FighterSweep Fans, here’s a feel-good story coming out of Operation Inherent Resolve. Our brothers and sisters aboard the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) have been doing some outstanding work. In fact, Air Wing Seven has dropped a record amount of carrier-based ordnance during its most recent deployment–over 580 tons, in fact! Continuing the coalition fight […]

FighterSweep Fans, this is the question in the back of many an intelligent mind as it applies to the F-35 Lightning II: who’s right? We have the crowd eager to grab torches and pitchforks anytime the subject is brought up, largely because of the ongoing debate about the JSF’s capabilities in CAS versus those of […]

FighterSweep Fans, we have an update on an incident we reported last fall. Air Combat Command has released the Accident Investigation Board report in reference to the runway collision between two F-16Cs this past August. Thanks to a one-minute (or less!) response time from resuce personnel at Nellis, the pilot who sustained life-threatening injuries survived. […]

On the F-35 progress front, the Lightning IIs based at Hill Air Force Base have begun working on their 4-ship combat training missions. To that end, personnel from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings have been flying against a number of threats on the Utah Test and Training Range. Whether you love it or hate […]

On 2 May 1999, then-Lieutenant Colonel David Goldfein was the commander of the 555th Fighter Squadron (Once Green…) at Aviano Air Base, Italy. While flying his Block 40 F-16CM over Serbia on a mission to destroy enemy air defenses (now referred to as Destructive SEAD), Goldfein’s jet–which also happened to be his flagship–was hit by […]

The skies above Western New York will soon be missing the familiar sound of the mighty C-130 Hercules. This morning, members the 914th Airlift Wing, based at Niagra Falls Air Reserve Station left for their final deployment in the Herk. The unit will be switching to the KC-135 Stratotanker. Although it will be a bittersweet […]

The fine folks at the 402nd Commodities Maintenance Group from Warner Robins Air Logistics Center are playing a major role in keeping Marine Corps and Navy Legacy Hornets in the fight. The ALC is producing wing spars for the F/A-18 Hornet, which comes at critical time for these aircraft. The vast majority of Hornets have […]

Happy Monday, FighterSweep Fans! We know it’s, for some, the most dreaded day of the week. To that we say “Nonsense!” It is the opportunity to attack your week and your respective to-do lists with renewed vigor and purpose! And you’re looking for motivation, we bring that to you now, courtesy of the 492nd Fighter […]

FighterSweep fans, we touched on this one a while back. As the Navy’s investigation delves deeper into the causes of the oxygen issues plaguing the Naval Aviation community, the statistics are alarming: 15 episodes were reported in 2009, concentrated in the Strike Fighter community, as well as the T-45C Goshawks aviators receive their jet training […]

FighterSweep Fans, you can’t help but be a little excited when a B-Course graduates a new group of fledgling warriors. It truly doesn’t matter which MDS you’re talking about, either–Light Gray, Mud Hen, Viper, or Raptor. In this case, our congratulations go out to Class 15-ABH, which graduated this weekend from the 311th Fighter Squadron […]