Alert 5

25 years later, former responders remember Air Force One incident

Posted on January 30, 2023 by alert5

It was a day that many people in Central Illinois will never forget. The U.S. Presidential aircraft, Air Force One, had one of its wheels stuck in the mud at Willard Airport in Savoy. President Bill Clinton was on his way to speak at the University of Illinois at the time.

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Record-breaking deployment of U.S. aircraft to Germany for NATO exercise

Posted on January 30, 2023 by alert5

Exercise Air Defender 23 is set to take place in June. The exercise will see 15 NATO nations deploying around 200 aircraft to Germany for 12 days of training in air warfare operations. The United States, in particular, will be sending a significant number of aircraft, including their F-35, F-16, and F-15 fighter jets. This marks the largest deployment of US air combat forces to Germany since the formation of NATO.

U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets from the 480th and 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadrons are parked on the aircraft ramp at the 86th Air Base, Romania, following the 510th EFS’ arrival April 29, 2022. The 480th EFS from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, is being replaced by the 510th EFS from Aviano Air Base, Italy, after being deployed to Romania since February. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maeson L. Elleman)

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China to retire the J-7 fighter this year

Posted on January 30, 2023 by alert5

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is set to decommission its J-7 fighter jets this year, according to a report from Global Times. The J-7, China’s first supersonic fighter jet, has been in use by the PLA Air Force and the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) for many years, but has been gradually retired since 2018 as the country’s production capacity of new aircraft has increased.

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Guyana to buy two Dornier 228s from India

Posted on January 29, 2023 by alert5

In a recent development, the President of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has agreed to the purchase of two Dornier 228 aircrafts from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Kanpur. The aircraft is a twin-engine turboprop, highly versatile multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft manufactured by HAL for the Indian military and coast guard.

Sean d'Silva (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons