Category AIRFORCE

JANUARY 1—15 At Cooke Air Force Base, California, the 672nd Strategic Mis­sile Squadron becomes the first Air Force unit to train and deploy the Bomarc interceptor missile. The 864th Strategic Missile Squadron, equipped with Jupiter IRBMs, also becomes operational.

JANUARY 29 In Washington, D. C., the Department of Defense declares it inten­tion to create the National Pacific Missile Range at the Naval Air Missile Test Range, Point Mugu, California. Future long-range weapons will be tested here.

JANUARY 31 At Cape Canaveral, a Jupiter C rocket carries Explorer I, the first American satellite, into Earth orbit. An onboard experiment designed by James A. Van Allen reveals the existence of a radiation belt around the planet.

FEBRUARY 1 At Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, the 706th Strategic Missile Wing, the first to deploy Atlas missiles, is activated by the Strategic Air Command (SAC).

FEBRUARY 7 In Washington, D. C., the Department of Defense creates the Advanced Research Projects Agency (APRA) to assume control of the nation’s space exploration program.

FEBRUARY 18 At Tullahoma, Tennessee, the Arnold Research Development Center creates a wind tunnel capable of creating an airflow speed of 32,400 miles per hour for one-tenth of a second.

MARCH 17 At Cape Canaveral, Vanguard I, the nation’s second artificial satellite, blasts off into orbit. This small device car­ries solar-powered batteries with an anticipated 1,000-year life expectancy, while other data reveals that the Earth possesses a slight pear shape to it.

MARCH 21 At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, a two-stage rocket pushes an unmanned sled to speeds of2,700 miles per hour.

MARCH 26 An Astrodyne rocket motor strapped to an F-100D Super Sabre launches the aircraft from a rail system for the first time. Such a system negates the need for a lengthy runway, although it is never adopted.

MARCH 27 The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) tasks the Air Force Ballistic Missile System with launching three lunar probes through its existing Thor-Vanguard missile system.

April 2 In Washington, D. C., President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposes a new National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) that would absorb the NACA as well as conduct civilian space programs and military technical initiatives.

April 5 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, an Atlas ICBM is successfully launched by the Air Force, and it travels 600 miles downrange to a designated impact area.

April 8 At Lajes Field, Azores, a KC-135 Stratotanker makes a nonstop, unrefue led jet flight record after covering 10,288 miles from Tokyo, Japan.

May 7 Over California, an F-104 Star – fighter piloted by Major Howard J. John­son sets a new altitude record of 91,243 feet, very impressive for an air-breathing jet.

May 12 At Colorado Springs, Colorado, the joint U. S.-Canadian North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) becomes operational. It is tasked with defending the continent against enemy aerial attacks.

May 16 An F-104A Starfighter piloted by Captain Walter W. Irwin sets an abso­lute speed record of 1,404.2 miles per hour.

May 24 The open-cockpit Bell X-14 research plane, cobbled together from parts of a Beech T-34 and a civilian Bonanza, makes its transition flight from vertical to horizontal. It remained an Air Force test bed until 1960, when it was transferred to NASA.

At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, a rocket sled exposes passenger Captain E. L. Breeding to 83 g’s for a fraction of a second.

May 27 At Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the first operational F-105B Thunder – chiefs are deployed with the 335th Tacti­cal Fighter Squadron.

The McDonnell Douglas YF4H-1 prototype flies for the first time. It enters service as the legendary F-4 Phantom II.

June 3 NACA and Air Force officials

reveal details of an inertial guidance system for the new X-15 rocket research aircraft. This device will assure correct pitch attitude for reentering the atmos­phere during high-altitude flights in near space.

June 4 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, a Thor missile is launched from a tactical – type launcher by Air Force crews.

June 16 The Air Force contracts with the Martin Company and the Boeing Com­pany to design and build the Phase I Dyna-Soar boost-glide orbital spacecraft.

June 27 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the 556th Strategic Missile Squadron makes the first military launch of a Northrop Snark intercontinental missile.

June 30 In Washington, D. C., NACA declares that nearly half of all research it conducts is skewed towards missiles and problems associated with space flight.

July 14—15 In Lebanon, Operation blue bat unfolds as Composite Air Strike Force Bravo transfers 2,000 fully equipped combat troops from camps in West Germany to the Middle East during a period of unrest.

July 26 At Edwards Air Force Base, Cal­ifornia, an F-104 Starfighter crash takes the life of Captain Iven C. Kincheloe.

AUGUST 1 Over Johnson Island in the Pacific, a nuclear-tipped ICBM intercep­tor missile is detonated to assess whether such weapons are practical in neutralizing incoming enemy missiles.

AUGUST 2 An Atlas missile is launched for the first time with a full-power flight profile utilizing both sustainer and boost engines.

AUGUST 6 The Rocketdyne Division, North American Aviation, contracts with the Air Force to design and build a rocket motor capable of producing 1 million pounds of thrust.

In Washington, D. C., Dr. T. Keith Glennan and Dr. Hugh L. Dryden are sworn in as administrator and deputy administrator, respectively, of the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

AUGUST 21 Former general James H.

“Jimmy” Doolittle convenes the final meeting of the National Advisory Com­mittee for Aeronautics (NACA) once NASA is enacted.

AUGUST 23 In Washington, D. C. the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is created by Congress to oversee military and civil aviation matters and help locate new airports and missile bases.

September 2 Along the Soviet border with Turkey, Russian MiG aircraft attack and shoot down a C-130 Hercules per­forming ELINT (electronic intelligence) work.

SEPTEMBER 3—9 In the Pacific, Opera­tion x-ray tango unfolds as F-100 Super Sabres, B-47 Canberras, and C-130 Her­cules aircraft are rushed to the Pacific in response to Communist China’s threats to Taiwan. This effective deployment over so wide an area gains a Mackay Trophy.

September 9 A Boeing EB-50 test air­craft launches a Lockheed X-7 ramjet test platform, which accelerates to Mach 4.

SEPTEMBER 16 The North American NA-246 prototype flies for the first time. This six-seat passenger jet enters service as the T-39 Sabreliner.

September 19 The Kaman H-43A heli­copter flies for the first time. It enters Air Force service as the Husky, although its twin-rotor design leads to the nick­name of “eggbeater.” The H-43A is widely employed by the Tactical Air Command (TAC) as a firefighting and crash recovery helicopter.

September 24 At Cape Canaveral, a Bomarc interceptor missile is launched from commands issued at a control sta­tion in Kingston, New York, and destroys an incoming target drone flying a 1,000 miles per hour at an altitude of

48,0 feet.

OCTOBER 26 The Boeing B-52G per­forms its maiden flight; this version is designed to carry two AGM-28 Hound Dog missiles under its wings.

November 1 The turbine-powered Kaman H-43B performs its maiden flight; it is eventually redesignated the HH-43B.

November 8 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the third Air Force attempt to launch a lunar probe fails when the third stage of a rocket fails to ignite and the Pio­neer 2 falls back to Earth. This is the last lunar shot attempted by the Air Force.

November 28 An Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile undergoes its first opera­tional test launch; the vehicle flies 6,300 miles and lands in a designated area.

December 3 At Pasadena, California, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is transferred from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to NASA at the order of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

December 16 At Point Mugu, California, a Thor IRBM is launched by the Pacific Missile Test Range for the first time. Another Thor goes up at Cape Canaveral on the same day.

A Military Air Transport Service (MATS) C-133 Cargomaster sets a world payload record by lifting 117,900 pounds to an altitude of 10,000 feet.

December 18—19 Project score unfolds as the Air Force launches its first commu­nications satellite into orbit on an Atlas rocket. A day later it broadcasts a taped message by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who has the first human voice beamed in from outer space.

December 23 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Air Force successfully test launches the first Atlas-C missile.

January 13 In Washington, D. C., Air Force Secretary John L. McLucas author­izes production of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.

January 16-February 1 The F-15 preproduction aircraft christened Streak Eagle sets eight time-to-climb world records while piloted by Air Force majors Roger J. Smith, David W. Peterson, and Willard R. MacFarlane, including 98,425 feet in 3 minutes, 27.8 seconds. The three men receive the Mackay Trophy.

February 7 The DIGITAC fly-by-wire computerized control system is first tested in a LTV A-7 Corsair II. This system is designed to allow inherently unstable air­craft such as the F-117 to be safely flown.

MARCH 25 As Communist forces begin surging through Southeast Asia, the Mili­tary Airlift Command (MAC) begins organizing a major evacuation effort to assist refugees.

April 4 In Saigon, South Vietnam, a C-5A Galaxy transport loaded with orphans crashes, killing most of the pas­sengers. The aircraft is participating in Operation BABY LIFT.

In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Air Force C-130 transports rush in to rescue 900 Cambodians who had been surrounded in the city by the Khmer Rouge.

April 12 In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Operation eagle pull unfolds as Air Force and Marine Corps helicopters remove 280 refugees before the city falls to Com­munist forces.

April 29—30 Over Saigon, South Viet­nam, Operation frequent wind com­mences as Air Force helicopters operating off the deck of the carrier Mid­way help evacuate 6,000 people before Communist forces capture the city. Meanwhile, Operation new lift contin­ues apace as C-141s and C-130s of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) remove a further 45,000 people, includ­ing 5,600 U. S. citizens, to a safe haven.

April 29-September 16 Throughout the Pacific, Air Force transports partici­pating in Operation new arrivals relo­cate 120,000 Indochinese refugees to processing centers prior to their resettle­ment in the United States.

May 14 At Koh Tang, Cambodia, eight Air Force HH-53 helicopters from the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group land 230 marines in an attempt to free the crew of the vessel SS Mayaguez, which had been seized two days earlier by Communist Khmer Rouge forces. They are backed by A-7s, F-4s, OV-10s, and AC-130s; three helicopters are shot down in heavy fighting. Major Robert W. Undorf is awarded the Mackay Tro­phy in this, the final U. S. military action in Southeast Asia.

July 15-July 24 Over the Earth, three American astronauts, including Air Force Brigadier General Thomas P. Stafford and Deke Slayton, link up with two Soviet cosmonauts in their Soyuz spacecraft.

July 31 The Air National Guard retires its last remaining Lockheed F-104 Star – fighter after nearly two decades ofservice.

AUGUST 8—15 In California, C-130s of the Air Force and National Guard drop

1,400 tons of fire retardant over a large forest fire.

SEPTEMBER 1 The Air Force’s Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr., becomes the first African American four-star (full) general in American military history.

OCTOBER 31 Boeing’s E-3A Sentry (AWACS) airborne command center performs its maiden flight.

NOVEMBER The Air Force reveals the existence of the have blue program to develop a “stealth” aircraft that is nearly invisible to radar.

NOVEMBER 29 Over Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the first “Red Flag” exer­cises are held to sharpen fighter pilot reflexes by flying realistic combat exer­cises. This is an outgrowth of the vietnam War experience.

December 6 The McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel prototype performs its maiden flight; 116 F-4E aircraft will be so modified for the dangerous work of anti-air defense suppression.

JANUARY 17 The Air Force accepts delivery of the first production model T – 1AJayhawk to upgrade its fleet of training aircraft.

JANUARY 20-25 Continuing medical shortages in Mongolia result in another

C-5 Galaxy from the 60th Airlift Wing delivering 56 tons of supplies to Mon­golia. They do so at the behest of the U. S. State Department to curry good relations with this former Soviet state.

JANUARY 30 The Air Force Satellite Control Network is handed off to the Air Force Space Command (AFSPACE – COM) to consolidate control of all Department of Defense satellites.

FEBRUARY 6 In Lithuania, four C-130 Hercules transports of the 435th Tactical Airlift Wing carry food and medical sup­plies to this former Soviet state.

February 10-29 provide hope I, a mass humanitarian mission to the new Commonwealth of Independent States, which replaced the now-defunct Soviet Union, unfolds as Air Force C-5 Galaxies and C-141 Starlifters fly in thousands of tons of food and medical supplies.

FEBRUARY 29 In Eastern Europe, Oper­ation provide hope II commences as Air Force transports continue providing food and medicine to former states of the defunct Soviet Union.

MARCH 4 In Russia, two B-52 bombers land on a friendship mission land on an air­field for the first time since World War II.

MARCH 15 In Turkey, C-5 Galaxy and

C-130 Hercules aircraft transport 165 tons of medicine, blankets, clothing, and other supplies to the victims of a severe earth­quake.

MARCH 19 Off the Alaskan coast, two Russian Tu-95 Bear aircraft are inter­cepted by F-15s for the first time since the demise of the Soviet Union.

MARCH 24 In Spain, the Air Force ends a 26-year tenure there once its final fighter aircraft return home.

April In Uzbekistan, five C-141 Starlifters deliver several tons of fire-fighting equip­ment after severe oil rig fires break out.

April 1 In Antarctica, a C-141 Starlifter from the 437th Airlift Wing delivers 155 barrels of aviation fuel by parachute to a joint U. S.-Russian ice station; the fuel is to be used by their helicopters.

April 17 C-141 Starlifters begin flying in

humanitarian aid to the former Yugosla­vian states of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia as their regional, centralized economies begin constricting.

April 24 Off the coast of Peru, a C- 130H Hercules of the 310th Airlift Squadron is attacked in international air­space by Peruvian Su-22s. The shooting injures six crewmen and kills one, who was sucked out of the cabin at 14,500 feet. The crew makes an emergency land­ing in the damaged plane, winning a Mackay Trophy.

May 1-10 In Los Angeles, California, transports of the Military Airlift Com­mand (MAC) convey troops and police to help quell an outbreak of racial vio­lence.

MAY 3-4 In Sierra Leone, a military coup prompts C-141 Starlifters and C-130 air­craft to evacuate 350 citizens and foreign nationals from that West African nation.

May 7—8 In Russia, the Air Force

Reserve Command Band marches in a Moscow military parade.

MAY 12 The Air Force accepts delivery of Lockheed’s 2,000th C-130 Hercules, making it one of the most successful transports aviation in history.

JUNE 1 With the Cold War successfully concluded, the Air Force embarks on a major organizational overhaul. The Stra­tegic Air Command (SAC), the Tactical Air Command (TAC), and the Military

Airlift Command (MAC) are immedi­ately discontinued and replaced by the new Air Combat Command (ACC), to operate SAC’s bomber and missiles and TAC’s fighters, and the Air Mobility Command (AMC), which inherits MAC’s transports and SAC’s tanker air­craft.

The new United States Strategic Com­mand (USSTRATCOM) is created by the Department of Defense to oversee U. S. nuclear forces and their long-range delivery systems; General George L. But­ler, the final SAC commander, assumes control.

June 30 Transports of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), in accordance with President George H. W. Bush’s Nuclear Forces Initiative, begin withdrawing remaning stocks of nuclear artillery shells, Lance missile warheads, and nuclear depth charges from depots throughout Western Europe.

July 1 The former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and Air Force Sys­tems Command (AFSC) are consolidated into a new entity, the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC).

July 1—March 15, 1996 In Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Operation provide promise unfolds as Air Mobility Com­mand (AMC) transports deliver thou­sands of tons of medicine and food to inhabitants of that region.

AUGUST 2—20 In Kuwait, Operation intrinsic action commences as transports of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) bring Army reinforcements in response to recent threats made by Iraq.

AUGUST 12 In Angola, Air Mobility Command (AMC) transports conduct

Operation PROVIDE TRANSITION, flying thousands of demobilized soldiers home to participate in that nation’s first democratic elections.

AUGUST 18 In Iraq, Operation southern WATCH is established to keep Iraqi aircraft from flying above the 32-degree north latitude line.

August 21-December 9 In Somalia, Operation provide relief commences as transports of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) begin flying food, medicine, and other relief supplies to a region wracked by civil wars, drought, and famine. By February 28, 1993, over 3,000 missions are flown and deliver 23,000 tons of cargo.

August 25-October 28 In southern Florida, Homestead Air Force Base is so severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew that it is abandoned. The Air Mobility Command (AMC) also dispatches 13,500 relief workers and 21,000 tons of equipment and supplies in 724 sorties.

AUGUST 26 Over Iraq, Operation southern watch begins to enforce a no­fly zone and prevent Iraqi aircraft flying below the 32nd parallel. This is necessary to prevent Saddam Hussein from attack­ing the Shia community residing in the southern marsh regions.

AUGUST 28 At Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, Air Force RF-4C Phantom II operations conclude when the 67th Reconnaissance Squadron is deactivated.

AUGUST 31 In Minsk, Byelorussia, an Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-141 Star – lifter transports 70 children stricken by cancer from the Chernobyl nuclear acci­dent to Brussels, Belgium, for treatment.

September 1-25 On Guam, transports of the Air Mobility Command (AMC)

convey 750 relief workers and 2,000 tons of supplies after a hard pounding by Typhoon Omar.

September 12-October 18 In Kauai, Hawaii, Air Mobility Command (AMC) and Air National Guard (ANG) transports perform 600 sorties to deliver 9,200 tons of relief supplies and 8,600 passengers after Typhoon Iniki ravages the area.

September 13—29 Transports of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) commence Operation impressive lift by conveying UN peacekeeping forces from Pakistan to Somalia, including 974 soldiers and 1,168 tons of equipment.

September 23—25 In Liberia, two C-

130 Hercules aircraft evacuate 96 Ameri­cans from impending civil strife.

October 25 In Tajikistan, a spate of

civil unrest in the former soviet republic prompts the arrival of an Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-141 Starlifter to evacuate citizens and foreign nationals.

November 4—11 In Armenia, the Air Mobility Command (AMC) dispatches five C-5 Galaxies and one C-141 Star – lifter with 236 tons of flour to relieve food shortages there.

November 30 Over Montana, disaster strikes once two C-141 Starlifters of the 62nd Airlift Wing collide during a night­time air refueling mission.

December 4 Over Somalia, Operation restore hope unfolds as Air Mobility Command (AMC) transports commence the first of 1,000 airlift missions while Air Force Reserve crews perform an additional 190 sorties; all told, 50,000 pas­sengers and 40,000 short tons of cargo are conveyed to the region.

December 6—20 In Islamabad, Pakistan, the Air Mobility Command (AMC) dis­patches six C-5 Galaxies with 415 tons of engineering vehicles and supplies to combat severe flooding.

December 15 England Air Force Base, Eaker Air Force Base, and George Air Force Base are ordered closed as a cost­cutting measure.

December 16 The new McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III jet trans­port sets several world altitude records with payload.

A B-52 piloted by Captain Jeffrey R. Swegel, 668th Bomb Squadron, suddenly loses four engines on its left wing. By adroit flying two engines are restarted and the bomber makes a safe emergency landing; Swegel wins the Mackay Trophy for his efforts.

December 27 Over Iraq, an F-16C shoots down an Iraqi MiG-25 Foxbat violating the UN no-fly zone; this is also the first aircraft destroyed by the new AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, or “Slammer.”

JANUARY 4 In California, the Pacific

Missile Range and Vandenberg Air Force Base becomes operational for missile test firings.

FEBRUARY At Travis Air Force Base, Cal­ifornia, the 5th Bombardment Wing deploys its first B-52Gs.

FEBRUARY 1 Control of the Distant Early

Warning (DEW) line passes from the United States Air Force to the Royal Canadian Air Force.

FEBRUARY 6 The Air Force successfully launches its first Titan I intercontinental ballistic missile; this is a two-stage, liquid-fueled projectile with an effective range of 5,500 miles.

FEBRUARY 12 The Strategic Air Com­mand (SAC) becomes an all-jet bomber force once the last remaining B-36 Peace­keeper is retired from active service.

FEBRUARY 17 At Cambridge, Massachu­setts, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, associate director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, advises the Air Force that they should assume scientific approach to recording all UFO sightings and keep the public informed of all existing policies towards them.

FEBRUARY 19 At Holloman Air Force Base, California, a two-stage rocket sled reaches 3,090 miles per hour, or Mach 4.

FEBRUARY 28 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, a Thor-Hustler rocket launch system successfully puts the Dis­coverer I satellite into Earth orbit. This is also the first satellite launched from the West Coast and the first placed in a polar orbit.

MARCH 10 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the X-15 rocket research air­craft makes its first captive flight while strapped under the wing of an EB – 50 mothership. At this time it is piloted by A. Scott Crossfield.

April 9 This day NASA announces that the 7 Project mercury astronauts have been selected from 110 candidates. Three of them—Captains L. Gordon Cooper, Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, and Donald K. “Deke” Slayton—are Air Force pilots.

April 10 In California, the Northrop YT-38 prototype flies for the first time. It enters service as the T-38 Talon, one of the most successful and most popular jet trainers in aviation history.

April 23 Over the Atlantic Missile Range, a B-52 bomber test fires the first Hound Dog air-to-ground, nuclear – tipped guided missile.

April 28 The Douglas Aircraft Company contracts with the Air Force to construct a three-stage Thor-Vanguard rocket­launching system named the Delta.

MAY 6 At Cape Canaveral, a successful, 1,500-mile test launch of the Jupiter IRBM results in that rocket system being declared operational.

MAY 12 At Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, the 1298th Air Transport Squadron is the first unit to receive the first of three VC-137A (Boeing 707) executive transport aircraft.

A Thor missile launch carries a GE Mark 2 nose cone to an altitude of 300 miles and 1,500 miles downrange; an onboard camera in the nose photo­graphs the Earth from that vista.

May 15 The first reentry vehicle recov­ered from an intercontinental-range mis­sile test is put on public display by General Bernard Schriever, head of the Air Research and Development Center.

May 25 The first operational F-106 Delta Dart deploys with the Air Defense Command; this supersonic fighter is designed to replace the older, slower F – 102 Delta Dagger.

June 3 At Colorado Springs, Colorado, 207 members of the first U. S. Air Force Academy class graduate out of an original total of 306 cadets.

June 8 Over the Mojave Desert, Califor­nia, the X-15 rocket research aircraft piloted by A. Scott Crossfield makes a non-powered test glide after being dropped by a B-52 bomber at 38,000 feet.

June 23 At Tullahoma, Tennessee, the Arnold Engineering Development Center is instructed to prepare opera­tional and design requirements for a major space test facility for military space weapons.

July 1 At Jackass Flats, Nevada, the first experimental nuclear reactor, named Kiwi 1, is tested at full power as part of the nuclear space rocket program.

July 24 Near Antigua, Air Force author­ities recover capsule film of a recent nose cone separation sequence.

July 30 In California, the Northrop N – 156F exceeds Mach 1 on its maiden flight. This is the prototype of what becomes the F-5 Freedom Fighter.

AUGUST 7 A pair of F-100 Super Sabres become the first jet aircraft to fly directly over the North Pole.

AUGUST 24 The Air Force test launches an Atlas-C missile, which travels 5,000 miles downrange at an altitude of 700 miles. The nose cone, which contains movie footage of one-sixth the Earth’s surface, is subsequently recovered and analyzed.

AUGUST 29 The Lockheed Corporation contracts with the Air Force to con­struct a new, high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft under Project OXCART for the Central Intelligence Agency. This is the origin of the SR-71 Blackbird.

September 1 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, all Atlas ICBM opera­tions are assumed by the Strategic Air Command (SAC).

September 9 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the first Atlas missile is launched under SAC auspices. The missile reaches 4,300 miles downrange at speed of

16,0 miles per hour, at which point SAC declares the system operational.

SEPTEMBER 17 Over California, the X – 15 rocket research aircraft is piloted by A. Scott Crossfield as it is dropped from a B-52 bomber and zooms to 53,000 feet at Mach 2.11.

OCTOBER 1 At Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, the Air Force Aerospace Aero – medical Center is created by consolidat­ing a number of medical facilities.

OCTOBER 2 In Washington, D. C., the Defense Department appoints Major General Donald N. Yates, commander of the Air Force Missile Test Center, as its representative for Project mercury support operations.

OCTOBER 6 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, an Atlas ICBM and a Thor IRBM

are both launched to their full flight ranges.

October 13 A B-47 launches a Bold Orion, an air-launched ballistic missile, which then soars to an altitude of 160 miles. At one point it passes to within four miles of the orbiting Explorer 6 satel­lite.

October 28-December 19 In Asia, the 4520th Aerial Demonstration Squad­ron—or Thunderbirds—completes a suc­cessful tour of several countries. They win a Mackay Trophy for their efforts.

October 31 A Series D Atlas ICBM goes on full alert status, becoming the first U. S. intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the Soviet Union with a nuclear warhead.

November 3 For the first time, a C-133 Cargomaster transport delivers an Atlas ICBM to an operational base. It is the first aircraft designed for this specific mission.

November 16 Captain Joseph W. Kit – tinger jumps from the balloon Excelsior I from a record altitude of 76,400 feet, breaking all previous records.

November 17 In Washington, D. C., the Defense Department assigns the Air Force to accept primary responsibility for the Discoverer, MIDAS, and SAMOS satellite projects after they are transferred from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).

December 8 Major General Don R. Ostrander, formerly of ARPA, transfers as director of NASA’s Office of Launch Vehicle Programs. As such he is respon­sible for all subsequent development and operations.

December 9 A twin-rotored Kaman H-43B helicopter reaches a record alti­tude of 29,846 feet.

Over Akron, Ohio, an Air Force Goodyear unmanned balloon rises to

100,0 feet, whereupon it takes a radar “picture” of the Earth’s surface from a payload gondola.

December 11 Captain Joseph W. Kit – tinger jumps from the balloon Excelsior II at 74,500 feet, then drops 55,000 feet before opening his parachute. This is also a world’s freefall record.

Brigadier General J. H. Moore, flying an F-105B Thunderchief, sets a new world speed record of 1,126.5 miles per hour over a 100-kilometer course.

DECEMBER 14 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, an F-105C Starfi – ghter flown by Captain Joseph B. Jordan reaches 103,389 feet, the highest alti­tude yet achieved by an air-breathing aircraft.

December 15 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, an F-106A Delta Dart makes a new official speed re­cord of 1,525.95 miles per hour in level flight.

January 30 The Central Intelligence aircraft. This is an early version of the Agency orders 12 Lockheed A-12 high – SR-71 Blackbird. altitude, high-speed reconnaissance

FEBRUARY 9 At Bedford, Massachusetts, the Air Force initiates the National Space Surveillance Control Center (SPACE – TRACK).

FEBRUARY 24 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, a Titan ICBM is launched and reaches 5,000 miles downrange, its lon­gest flight profile to date.

April 1 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, an Air Force Thor-Able rocket booster launches TIROS 1, the first U. S. weather satellite. In time it completes 1,300 Earth orbits and relays back 22,952 pictures.

April 13 Transit 1B is launched into orbit, becoming the first U. S. navigation satellite.

May 1 Over Svedlorsk, Soviet Union, a U-2 spyplane flown by CIA pilot Francis G. Powers is struck by fragments of an SA-2 missile and brought down. He is put on trial and jailed for espionage, until being exchanged for a Soviet agent in 1961.

May 19 The X-15 hypersonic research plane piloted by Major Robert M. White reaches 107,000 feet, its highest altitude yet.

May 20 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, an Atlas missile is test fired and reaches an apogee of 1,000 miles in altitude as it reaches 9,000 miles downrange into the Indian Ocean. This is the longest flight of an Atlas to date.

May 23 In Chile, Operation amigos unfolds as Air Force transports begin massive amounts of humanitarian aid to assist victims of a major earthquake there. Over the next month, 10,000 tons of sup­plies will be flown in from 4,500 miles away.

May 24 MIDAS II, the first antimissile early warning satellite, is placed into Earth orbit.

June 25 The Aerospace Corporation, a

nonprofit civilian group tasked with managing the engineering, research, and development of missiles and space pro­grams, is created by the Air Force.

June 28 In Washington, D. C., a Langley Medal is posthumously awarded to American rocket pioneer Dr. Robert H. Goddard. This is also the Smithsonian Institution’s highest award.

July 1 Over the Barents Sea, an ERB- 47H of the 55th Reconnaissance Wing is shot down over international waters by MiG-17s. Only the pilot and copilot sur­vive, and they are held as spies until being released the following January.

July 8 At Jackass Flats, Nevada, a nuclear reactor named Kiwi-A Prime is tested at full power as part of the nuclear – powered rocket program Project rover.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Air Force transports begin a four-year effort to evacuate U. S. citizens and fly in UN peacekeeping troops during a period of civil war.

July 14 In Africa, Project safari begins as 100 C-130 and C-124 transports airlift

38.0 UN troops to various locales.

July 17 A series of three Air Force bal­loons carry three NASA experiments to

130.0 feet. The 12 mice on board are subject to cosmic rays for 12 hours then brought back for examination.

At Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, the 43rd Bombardment Group receives the first operational B-58 Hustler. This delta-winged giant flies at twice the speed of sound and can hit the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons after only one in­flight refueling.

AUGUST 10—11 High above Earth, the Air Force Discoverer XIII satellite ejects a 300-pound capsule, which becomes the first man-made object ever recovered from space.

AUGUST 12 Over California, the X-15 rocket research aircraft piloted by Major Robert M. White reaches a record alti­tude of 136,500 feet.

AUGUST 16 Captain Joseph W. Kittin – gerr rides the Excelsior III balloon to 102,800 feet then jumps, setting the highest-ever parachute record. He falls for 17 miles, approaching the speed of sound during his freefall period.

AUGUST 18 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the satellite Discoverer XIV is thrown into a polar orbit by the Air Force.

AUGUST 19 Over Honolulu, Hawaii, a C-119 flown by Captain Harold F. Mitchell snares the Discoverer XIV re­entry capsule at an altitude of 8,000 feet. Consequently, the 6593rd Test Squadron (Special) receives a Mackay Trophy.

AUGUST 26 At Arecibo, Puerto Rico, the Air Force helps direct construction of the world’s largest radar, capable of bouncing signals off the moon and nearby planets.

AUGUST 30 At Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, the 564th Strategic Missile Squadron, consisting of six Atlas ICBMs, is the first operational unit of its kind.

September 10 Across the United States, civil aeronautical operations cease for six hours while Operation skyshield unfolds. This is a defensive operation sponsored by NORAD and involves several hun­dred Air Force aircraft.

SEPTEMBER 15 At Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, Captain W. D. Habluetzel and Lieutenant J. S. Hargreaves remain in a mock space capsule for 30 days during a simulated journey to the moon and back.

September 21 At Nellis Air Force Base,

Nevada, the first Republic F-105 Thun – derchief, all-weather, nuclear attack air­craft is delivered to the Tactical Air Command (TAC).

OCTOBER 1 At Thule, Greenland, the initial Ballistic Missile Early Warning Sys­tem (BMEWS) is declared operational. This system is to alert the Strategic Air Command (SAC) of an impending mis­sile attack in enough time to allow a retaliatory response.

OCTOBER 12 Over El Centro, California, a C-130 makes a record parachute drop by delivering 541,470 pounds of cargo by air.

NOVEMBER 12 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the Discoverer XVII satel­lite is placed into orbit by a restartable rocket motor for the first time.

November 14 The second midair retrieval of an ejected satellite capsule occurs when a C-119 snares the payload for Discoverer XVII as it parachutes in from orbit. The cargo in this instance is the first letter carried into Earth orbit from Air Force Chief of Staff General Thomas D. White to the Secretary of Defense.

November 23 A Thor-Delta rocket car­ries the TIROS 2 weather satellite into orbit, becoming the 14th successful launching of the year.

December 1 In Pasadena, California, a scale map of the first lunar landing site selected by NASA is delivered to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

December 3 Disaster strikes at Vanden – berg Air Force Base, California, as a nighttime refueling of a Titan I ICBM results in an explosion and fire.

December 10 AC-119 piloted by Cap­

tain Gene Jones retrieves the reentry cap­sule from the Discoverer XVIII satellite; this particular payload carried samples of human tissue to test the effects of solar radiation.

December 14 A B-52G from the 5th Strategic Bombardment Wing, Travis

Air Force Base, California, sets a new world jet distance record by flying 10,079 miles in 19 hours and 44 minutes.

December 16 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the Strategic Air Com­mand launches an Atlas-D with a Mark II nose cone; the projectile flies 4,384 miles downrange to Eniwetok Atoll.

December 19 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, NASA launches a Redstone rocket booster to lift an unmanned Mer­cury space capsule into low Earth orbit. The device is carried 135 miles up into the atmosphere at a speed of 4,200 miles per hour, and parachutes down into the ocean 235 miles downrange.

JANUARY 9 At Langley Air Force Base, virginia, the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing accepts delivery of the first operational F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter.

JANUARY 31 In Thailand, the Air Force returns control of udorn Air Base back to the Royal Thai Air Force; the Ameri­cans subsequently withdraw from Korat a month later.

February 5-March 3 In Guatemala, Operation earthquake unfolds as Air Force transports deliver 1,000 tons of relief supplies and 700 personnel to assist victims of a recent disaster there.

MARCH 1 At Taipei Air Station, Taiwan, the Air Force concludes operations fol­lowing two decades of active service there.

MARCH 15 The Air Force communica­

tion satellites Les-8 and Les-9 are placed in orbit by an Atlas IIIC launch vehicle.

MARCH 21-June 9 In the Philippines, a series of violent typhoons results in Air Force transports delivering help and medical supplies from bases on Guam. Air Rescue and Recovery helicopters are instrumental in saving 700 flood victims.

MARCH 22 At Davis-Monthan Air Base, Arizona, operational and evaluation test­ing of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II commences.

In Thailand, the last Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 leaves U-Tapao Airfield after operating there for several years.

MARCH 26 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the NASA Flight Research Center is renamed in honor of Hugh L. Dryden, a former deputy administrator.

APRIL 2 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the last Douglas C-118 Liftmaster flies to its final resting place in the “bone yard.”

May 6 —June 5 At Aviano Air Base, Italy, local Air Force personnel assist vic­tims of a recent earthquake in the northeastern portion of the country.

June 28 At Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U. S. Air Force Academy admits the first women, eligible to graduate in the Class of 1980.

July 1 In Washington, D. C., the National Air and Space Museum, Smith­sonian Institution, is opened to the pub­lic; it draws 20 million visitors in only two years and remains the most visited museum in the world.

July 15 At Mather Air Force Base, Cali­fornia, all military navigation begins training at one facility once Navy and Marine Corps navigators arrive for instruction.

July 27-28 Three flight records are established by three SR-71 Blackbirds: the first sets an absolute world speed record of 2,092 miles per hour with a 2,200 payload; the second does the same over a 15/25 kilometer course at 2,193 miles per hour; and the third reaches a record 85,069 feet for sustained high-altitude flight.

AUGUST 1-2 Over Big Thompson Can­

yon, Colorado, two UH-1 Huey helicop­ters rescue 81 tourists stranded by a flood.

September 9 At the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, the first fully guided test launch of an air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) is conducted; the missile in ques­tion carefully follows a flight path estab­lished by preset coordinates.

September 29 At Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, 10 female students enter undergraduate flight training, being the first women admitted since World War II.

November 29-December At Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, C-130s and C-141s of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) arrive with relief supplies to assist victims of recent earthquakes.

December 10 In the Atlantic, a U. S. bal­loonist crashes at sea and floats until he is discovered by Air Force search and rescue teams, which direct a nearby West German tanker to his locale.

January 1 At Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado, the 7th Space Operations Squadron is the first Reserve space unit activated.

January 3 President George H. W. Bush and President Boris Yeltsin of Rus­sia conclude the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II), which

eliminates all multiple, independently tar­geted reentry vehicles (MIRV), and reduces the number of nuclear weapons bombers can carry.

JANUARY 13 Over Iraq, Air Mobility

Command (AMC) transports con­vey forces to support SOUTHERN WATCH II, the no-fly zone near Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Air Force Major Susan J. Helms becomes the first U. S. military female in space when she enters orbit in the space shuttle Endeavor.

JANUARY 17 Over Iraq, an F-16 detects a MiG-23 and destroys it with an AIM-120 “Slammer” missile as it covers an F-4G Wild Weasel mission against Iraqi antiair­craft sites.

JANUARY 18 Over Iraq, F-4G Wild Weasels shoot back at an Iraqi missile site that fired upon them; F-16s also bomb an airfield whose antiaircraft gun had opened upon them.

In Zagreb, Croatia, a joint air opera­tions cell arises to coordinate airlifting supplies by aircraft of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Canada.

FEBRUARY 2 Air Force transports deliver medical and humanitarian aid to Zagreb, Croatia, as ethnic fighting in the former region of Yugoslavia intensifies. Opera­tion provide promise will expand this effort with direct airdrops to Muslims fleeing a Serbian advance.

February 13-March 9 Operation

provide refuge commences as Air Mobility Command (AMC) trans­ports fly supplies from Hawaii to Kwaja- lein Atoll to assist 535 Chinese sailors who defected after their vessel broke down.

FEBRUARY 19 The 64th Flying Train ing Wing introduces the new T-1A Jayhawk trainer to prospective student pilots.

FEBRUARY 28 Over eastern Bosnia, Operation provide promise continues as transports of the 435th Airlift Wing air­drop supplies to Muslim refugees fleeing Serb forces.

March 13-14 In Florida, the 301st Rescue Squadron dispatches helicopters to save 93 victims of heavy flooding brought about by a blizzard blanketing the Gulf Coast region.

March 31 Operation deny flight, a

no-fly zone over Bosnia, is established by the United Nations. It becomes effec­tive on April 5 and is aimed at limiting Serbian use of airplanes in the Bosnian civil war.

April 19-24 In Siberia, aircraft of the

Russian and U. S. air forces conduct joint rescue operations for the first time.

May 17-29 Over Cambodia, Air Mobil­ity Command (AMC) C-5s and C-151s fly 24 missions conveying UN troops to supervise the first free elections held since 1970.

JUNE 11 Over Somalia, AC-130 Spectre gunships participate in Operation CON­TINUE HOpE by attacking Somali warlords who had shelled UN ground forces on June 5.

JUNE 14 At Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, the first C-17A Globe – master IIIs are accepted by the 437th Air­lift Wing. This is the first Air Force transport capable of hauling oversized cargo loads to relatively short, unprepared runways.

June 17 At Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Lieutenant Colonel Patricia Fornes assumes control of the 740th Missile Squadron, becoming the first woman to command a combat missile unit.

June 29 At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, the prototype OC-135B air­craft flies for the first time, being designed to function over nations participating in the Open Skies Treaty.

July 1 The new Air Education and Training Command (AETC) absorbs the Air Training Command (ATC) and the Air University (AU).

The Twentieth Air Force, which con­trols and monitors daily operations of the intercontinental ballistic missile force, falls under the purview of the Air Force Space Command (AFSPACECOM).

At Vandenberg Air Force Base, Cali­fornia, the Fourteenth Air Force is assigned missile warning and space sur­veillance missions under the aegis of the Air Force Space Command (AFSPACE – COM).

July 5—12 In Macedonia, transports of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) deliver Army troops and their equipment from Germany to bolster UN peace­keeping efforts there.

July 11-AUGUST 1 In the Midwest a huge flood inundates eight states along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Air Force C-5 and C-141 transports deliver 800 tons of relief equipment, including 1 million empty sandbags, to assist the res­idents.

AUGUST 6 In Washington, D. C., Dr.

Sheila E. Widnall gains appointment as the secretary of the Air Force; she is the first woman to hold the position.

AUGUST 11—15 In Nepal, the 436th Air­lift Wing dispatches three C-5 Galaxies to Nepal after floodwaters wash out several bridges; they convey 190 tons of bridge components made in England.

AUGUST 18 At White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Air Force Space and Missile Center (SMC) personnel observe the first launch ofthe Delta Clip­per Experimental (DC-X) vertical takeoff and landing rocket.

OCTOBER 1 At Barksdale, Louisiana, the 93rd Bomber Squadron becomes the first Air Force Reserve unit to employ B-52 bombers.

OCTOBER 2—4 In Bombay, India, the Air Mobility Command dispatches two C-5 Galaxies carrying 1,000 rolls of plastic sheeting, 950 tents, and nearly 19,000 five-gallon water containers for survivors of recent earthquakes.

OCTOBER 3—4 In Mogadishu, Somalia, Air Force pararescueman Technical Ser­geant Tim Wilkerson rescues and treats five wounded U. S. Army Rangers; he receives the Air Force Cross.

OCTOBER 5—13 Over Mogadishu,

Somalia, Operation restore hope ii com­mences once Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-5s and C-141s deliver 18 Abrams tanks, 44 Bradley fighting vehicles, and 1,300 troops to bolster the American peacekeeping force.

OCTOBER 8 Over Bosnia, Operation

provide hope is the Air Force’s longest, most continuous airlift operation; it is surpassed only by the Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949.

NOVEMBER Lieutenant Colonel Betty Mul- lis takes control of the 336th Air Refueling

Squadron, becoming the first woman to command an Air Force Reserve unit.

December 2—13 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space shuttle Endeavor goes aloft under the command of Air Force Colonel Richard O. Covey. Its mission is to repair the $2 billion Hubble space telescope which is in need of a “contact lens” to correct its malformed main lens.

December 8 In accordance with the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the Air Force begins destroying the first of 450 Minuteman II missile silos.

December 17 At Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, the first B-2A Spirit bomber, The Spirit of Missouri, deploys with the 393rd Bomb Squadron.

JANUARY 13 Major H. J. Deutschendorf breaks six world speed records in his B-58 Hustler by flying 1,200.2 miles per hour over a closed course while carrying a 4,408 pound payload and a three-man crew.

JANUARY 22 The Air Force selects the new Titan II launch vehicle to loft the Dyna-Soar into orbit.

JANUARY 31 At Cape Canaveral, a chim­panzee named Ham (Holloman Aero Medical) is blasted into orbit by a Red­stone rocket. His Mercury capsule is safely recovered and Ham exhibits no ill effects from his 18-minute ride.

At Point Arguello, California, an Atlas – Agena rocket booster launches SAMOS II, a 4,100-pound photographic test satellite, into orbit.

At Cape Canaveral, an LGM-130 Minuteman ICBM is launched for the first time and travels 4,600 miles downrange. This is a three-stage solid-propellant weapon and designed to replace more dangerous, labor-intense liquid-fueled designs.

FEBRUARY 3 The Strategic Air Com­mand initiates the new Looking Glass program. This entails keeping modified KC-135 tankers, converted into fly­ing communication centers, airborne 24 hours a day, all year long. These craft are in constant touch with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all SAC bases and air­planes should a preemptive enemy strike wipe out American command structures.

MARCH 6 At Wichita, Kansas, Boeing unveils its first B-52H Stratofortress, which is equipped with economical turbofan engines and is capable of carry­ing the GAM-87A Skybolt air-to-surface missile.

MARCH 7 The North American X-15 hypersonic research aircraft is flown by Major Robert M. White to 2,905 miles per hour; White thus becomes the first man to exceed Mach 4.

The GAM-72A Quail missile is authorized to serve as an electronic diver­sionary missile on B-52 bombers, enhancing its survivability.

MARCH 17 At Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, the first Northrop T-38 Talon jet trainer is deployed with the Air Training Command. It is still widely in use to present times.

April 1 This day the Air Force Air Materiel Command is renamed the Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC), and the Air Research and Development Command becomes known as the Air Force Systems Command (AFSC).

April 12 In another memorable event, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space and the first to orbit the Earth.

April 17 At Vernalis, California, a constant-altitude balloon designed by the Air Force Cambridge Research Center deploys at 70,000 feet for nine days while carrying a 40-pound payload.

April 19 During the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion, four Air National Guard B-26 crew members are shot down over Cuba and killed.

April 21 The X-15 hypersonic rocket airplane flown by Captain Robert M. White zooms to 105,000 feet at a speed of 3,074 miles per hour. This is the first aircraft to reach that velocity.

May 2 Over Paris, France, the B-58 Hus­tler Fire Fly touches down after traveling from New York in 3 hours and 56 minutes; this is a new transatlantic record.

May 3 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) launches the first Titan I ICBM from a hard “silo lift” launcher.

May 5 At Cape Canaveral, U. S. Navy commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr., becomes the first American in space when his capsule Friendship 7 is lofted into a suborbital flight of15 minutes and 28 sec­onds.

May 26 In Paris, a B-58 Hustler flown by Major William R. Payne, Captain Wil­liam L. Pollemus, and Captain Raymond Wegener, 43rd Bombardment Wing, arrives from New York in only 3 hours and 20 minutes. They average 1,300 miles per hour and win the Mackay Trophy for their flight, which commemorates the 34th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s crossing.

June 1 At Kincheloe Air Force Base,

Michigan, the first Bomarc-B site becomes operational.

June 3 Over Paris, France, the B-58 Hustler Fire Fly stalls and crashes at the Paris Air Show, killing all three crew members.

June 9 The Military Air Transport Ser­vice (MATS) obtains its first C-135A Stratotlifter as the process of switching over from piston-powered aircraft to jets begins.

June 23 The X-15 hypersonic research

aircraft flown by Major Robert M. White reaches 3,603 miles per hour; White is the first man to exceed Mach 5.

June 30 In Washington, D. C., General

Curtis E. LeMay gains appointment as the new Air Force chief of staff.

July The Strategic Air Command (SAC) orders 50 percent of all airborne assets on a 15-minute ground launch alert to deter a surprise attack.

July 1 The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) begins cataloging all man-made space objects with a special detection and tracking computer system.

The Air Force Communications System (AFCS) begins and is tasked with communications and air traffic control at all Air Force bases around the globe.

July 12 An Air Force Agena-B launch rocket places the MIDAS II satellite in orbit using new “kick in the apogee” technology, whereby a second-stage booster is ignited at the apogee of the first stage, pushing the satellite out to 1,850 miles above the Earth’s surface.

July 21 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, Air Force captain Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom becomes the second American in space when a Redstone booster blasts his Liberty Bell 7 Mercury capsule to a height of 118 miles at 5,310 miles per hour.

AUGUST 8 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Air Force test fires its first Atlas F missile. This version is designed for long-term storage of liquid-fuel propel­lants and will be deployed in hardened silos.

AUGUST 24 Aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran sets a new women’s speed record of 844.2 miles per hour in a Northrop T – 38 Talon.

AUGUST 25 Lockheed’s improved C – 130E Hercules transport performs its maiden flight.

September 8 A T-38 Talon flown by aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran sets a new women’s 1,000-kilometer closed course

speed record by hitting 639.4 miles per hour.

SEPTEMBER 15 Aviatrix Jacqueline Co­chran sets another women’s world dis­tance record by flying 1,346.4 miles in a Northrop T-38.

SEPTEMBER 19 At Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, a Bomarc B automated inter­ceptor rises to 7 miles in altitude before destroying a supersonic Regulus II drone 250 miles away. To do so the Bomarc had to complete a 180-degree turn to intercept.

OCTOBER 1 With the Berlin Wall Crisis in full play, Operation stairstep unfolds, whereby 18,500 Air National Guardsmen report for active duty while ANG units are activated for service in Europe.

October 11 The X-15 hypersonic rocket research aircraft flown by Major Robert M. White zooms to an altitude of 217,000 feet—becoming the first manned aircraft to exceed 200,000 feet above the Earth.

OCTOBER 12 Aviatrix Jacqueline

Cochran flies her T-38 Talon to a new women’s altitude record of56,071 feet.

OCTOBER 18 An Air Force Kaman H – 43B helicopter rises to a record altitude of 32,840 feet.

OCTOBER 20 In Southeast Asia, the first RF-101C Voodoos are dispatched to fly over North Vietnam to monitor Com­munist troops activities.

November 9 The X-15 hypersonic rocket research aircraft flown by Major Robert M. White reaches 4,000 miles per hour at 101,600 feet. This is the X- 15’s 45th flight and the first time it has exceeded Mach 6.

The Farm Gate Air Commando detachment arrives in south Vietnam to instruct Vietnamese pilots how to fly T – 28 Trojan ground-attack aircraft. The advisers also bring along numerous sC – 47s and B-26 Invaders.

November 15 At Saigon, South Viet­nam, the 2nd Advanced Echelon, Thir­teenth Air Force deploys for active duty, officially initiating U. S. Air Force partici­pation in the Vietnam War.

November 17 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, a Minuteman ICBM is launched from a silo for the first time and travels

3,0 miles downrange as planned.

November 21 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the 6555th Aerospace Test Wing launches an Air Force Titan ICBM with a nose cone designed for Nike-Zeus anti­missile testing.

November 22 The Air Force launches a highly secret SAMOS reconnaissance sat­ellite atop an Atlas-Agena rocket booster.

November 29 At Cape Canaveral, two chimpanzees are launched in a Mercury space capsule, which orbits the Earth twice before being safely recov­ered.

December 1 At Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, the 10th Strategic Missile Squadron becomes the first active Minuteman unit.

DECEMBER 15 At Sioux City, Iowa, the North American Air Defense Com­mand’s SAGE system becomes opera­tional after its 21st control center is finished and activated.

January 1 At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, the 479th Tactical Training Wing forms with three squad­rons of AT-38B Talons. These aircraft have been modified with gunsights and form the backbone of the Fighter Lead – in School.

January 8 At Marietta, Georgia, the first production C-141B “stretched” transport rolls off the assembly line. This new version is 23 feet longer, and is capable of in-flight refueling for unlim­ited range.

January 31 – February 11 At Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Military Airlift Command transports arrive with 1,160 tons of snow removal equipment following a massive blizzard.

MARCH 23 At Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, the first Boeing E-3A is deliv­ered to the Tactical Air Command (TAC). This airborne command and con­trol station is characterized by a large rotating disk on its back.

MARCH 27—30 At Tenerife, Canary Islands, Air Force C-141s arrive to assist survivors of civil aviation’s worst disaster when two Boeing 747s collide. C-130s also arrive with medical teams and equip­ment.

May At Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U. S. Air Force Academy selects the De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter for its par­achute jump program. It receives the new designation UV-18B.

May 2 Lieutenant Christine E. Schott is the first woman to solo in a T-38 Talon trainer as part of the Air Force University undergraduate flying program.

May 19 A B-52 flown by Captain James A. Yule experiences a severe in-flight emergency, yet he manages to bring his aircraft in for a safe landing; he wins a Mackay Trophy.

June 16 In Moscow, Soviet Union, a C-5A Galaxy arrives carrying a large superconducting magnet to support a joint U. S.-USSR energy research project. The flight, nonstop from Chi­cago, Illinois, required two in-flight refu­elings and wins the crew a Mackay Trophy.

June 30 In Washington, D. C., President Jimmy Carter cancels the B-1A bomber after four prototypes have been con­structed; however, he also orders testing and research to continue.

AUGUST 3 At Colorado Springs, Colo­rado, Cadet Colonel Edward A. Rice, Jr., becomes the first African American Cadet Wing Commander at the Air Force Academy.

AUGUST 4 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the Air Force dispatches it last operational T-33 Shooting Star trainer to the “bone yard.”

AUGUST 12 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, the space shuttle Enterprise makes its first glide test with Air Force fighter pilot Fred Haise and Colonel C. Gordon Fullerton in con­trol. It glides in safely from 22,800 feet while an estimated 70,000 onlookers cheer.

September 2 Another gender barrier falls as the first 10 female Air Force pilots are given their wings.

SEPTEMBER 30 From Charleston, South Carolina, a C-141 Starlifter flies across the Atlantic without a navi­gator, being guided instead by a Delco inertial guidance system. This new tech­nology leads to navigators being phased out.

OCTOBER 1 In the Panama Canal Zone,

C-130s from the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard arrive at Howard Air Force Base as part of a new series of quarterly deployments entitled Operation

VOLANT OAK.

OCTOBER 12 At Colorado Springs, Colorado, the first five female navi­gators graduate from the Air Force Academy’s undergraduate navigator training (UNT).

JANUARY 4 At Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, the 435th Airlift Wing dispatches a C-130 Hercules with relief supplies to Bosnia. This unit consists of both Reserve and Air National Guard members.

January 10 Off the coast of Iceland, HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters Air Rescue 206 and 208, 56th Rescue Squadron, save six sailors from a stranded tugboat amidst heavy seas; they receive a Mackay Trophy.

JANUARY 13 At Soesterberg Air Base, the Netherlands, the last remaining F-15s of the 32nd Fighter Group depart, ending a 40-year American presence there.

January 17-25 C-5s and C-141s

deliver 150 tons of relief supplies and 270 medical personnel after parts of Southern California are struck by a powerful earthquake.

February KC-135 tanker aircraft sup­porting Operation deny flight in Bosnia receive permission to overfly French air­space for the first time in 20 years.

February 3 At Hondo Field, Texas, the Air Education and Training Command receives the first T-3A enhanced flight screening aircraft.

February 5 A crew from the 317th Air­lift Squadron, an Air Force Reserve unit, checks out in a new C-17 Globemaster III for the first time.

After a Serbian mortar attack in Sarajevo kills 68 and injures 200, four C-130s are dispatched to fly the wounded to medical facilities in Germany.

February 7 The Air Force Space Com­mand launches a Titan IV/Centaur rocket which hurls the first Military Stra­tegic and Tactical Relay Satellite into orbit. This device enhances ready, secure communications around the world during any conflict.

FEBRUARY 10 Lieutenant Jeannie Flynn becomes the Air Force’s first female F-15E-qualified fighter pilot.

February 18 At Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, the last remaining F-4G Wild Weasels depart for Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

February 25 Bitburg Air Base, Ger­many, is closed by the Air Force, which begins transferring F-15s of the 53rd

Fighter Squadron over to Spangdahlem Air Base.

FEBRUARY 28 Over Bosnia-Herzegovina, Operation deny flight heats up when an F-16 piloted by Lieutenant Robert Wright, 526th Fighter Squadron, spots four Serbian J-1 Super Galeb attack air­craft violating the “no-fly zone.” He brings down three with Sidewinder and AIM-120 Slammer missiles while another F-16 downs the final Jastreb. The F-16’s aerial record is now 69 kills and no losses. This is also NATO’s first-ever military action.

MARCH The new T-3A flight screening aircraft is ordered to replace the older T-41 Mescalero trainer, which has been in service with the Air Force since 1964.

At Edwards Air Force Base, California, an AGM-84 Harpoon antiship missile is fired by an F-16 for the first time.

MARCH 13 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, two military satellites are placed into orbit for the first time by a Taurus booster rocket.

MARCH 15 In Washington, D. C., after the director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum unveils plans to exhibit the B-29 Enola Gay as a prop in a politi­cally correct revisionist diatribe, an public outcry from Congress, veterans groups, and the news media halts the attempt in its tracks; the director is subsequently fired for distorting national history.

MARCH 18 In California, Norton Air Force Base, which has served as an im­portant aircraft repair depot for 52 years, is ordered shut down.

MARCH 25 In Somalia, an Air Force C-5 Galaxy departs, removing the last Ameri­can military personnel still there and end­ing Operation RESTORE HOPE.

MARCH 31 Aviano Air Base, Italy, is upgraded to become a NATO main operating base.

In light of ongoing aerial operations over Bosnia, two F-16 fighters arrive there to support them.

April At Ellsworth Air Force Base, the final 150 Minuteman II missiles are removed to comply with the 1992 Stra­tegic Arms Reduction treaty.

April 6—12 In Africa, Operation distant

runner commences as Air Force trans­ports evacuate citizens and foreign nationals from Bujumbura, Burundi, to Nairobi, Kenya. A genocidal civil war has broken out.

April 7 A Rockwell B-1B Lancer piloted by Captain Michael S. Menser sets a world speed record of 599.59 miles per hour by flying between Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, and Mullan, Idaho. Concurrently, a Lancer flown by Captain R. F. Lewandowski sets another speed record of 594.61 miles per hour over the same course.

APRIL 10 Over Bosnia, two Air Force F – 16Cs destroy a Bosnian Serb Army com­mand post near Gorazde in retaliation for an attack on UN personnel. This is also NATO’s first air-to-ground attack, and the first close support mission of Operation DENY FLIGHT.

April 14 Over northern Iraq, F-15C fighters of the 53rd Fighter Squadron misidentify and accidentally down two Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in the northern no-fly zone, killing 15 Americans and 11 international observers. The pilots believed they were Russian- built Mi-24 Hind gunships of the Iraqi Air Force.

May 3 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the last operational B – 52G is retired to the bone yard. How­ever, the fan-jet powered B-52H contin­ues serving into the 21st century.

May 6 At Tucson, Arizona, Lieutenant Leslie DeAnn Crosby becomes the first female Air Force Reserve fighter pilot once she passes through the F-16 RTU.

May 7—9 In Yemen, the outbreak of civil strife prompts six Air Mobility Command (AMC) transports to evacuate 623 citi­zens and foreign nationals to safety.

May 8 The Air Mobility Command (AMC) dispatches five C-141 Starlifters in support of Operation provide promise in Bosnia. By July 26, they will deliver 7,000 tons of supplies.

May 11-17 From Turkey, Operation provide assistance unfolds as Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-141 Starlifters con­vey 329 tons of supplies to thousands of refugees in Rwanda; they ultimately deliver 10,000 rolls of plastic sheeting and 100,000 blankets.

June-September As raging forest fires consume 2 million acres throughout six Western states, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard C-130 aircraft douse afflicted regions with 5 million gallons of fire retardant.

June 3 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, a C-17 Globemaster III piloted by Major Andre A. Gerner establishes a record 44,088 pounds to 6,600 feet.

June 22-30 In to Uganda, Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-5 Galaxies and C-141 Starlifters transport armored vehicles to assist UN peacekeeping forces in neighboring Rwanda.

June 24 The Lockheed F-117 stealth bom­ber receives the official designation “Night – hawk.” Previously, air crews referred to it as the “Wobblin’ Goblin” and “Black Jet.”

June 26 In the Ukraine, a C-5 Galaxy of the 60th Military Airlift Wing carries a 34-ton magnetic resonance imaging sys­tem for victims of the 1986 nuclear acci­dent at Chernobyl.

June 30 In Berlin, Germany, Detach­ment I, 435th Airlift Wing, is deactivated 46 years after the famous Berlin Airlift.

July The last production McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is delivered to the Air Force.

After Tropical Storm Alberto ravages the Georgia coastline, aircraft of the 507th Air Refueling Group flies in 1,000 pounds of supplies to assist flood victims.

July 1 In Kansas, the 184th Bomb Group becomes the first Air National Guard (Kansas ANG) unit to fly B-1B Lancers.

The Air Combat Command (ACC) yields responsibility for the nation’s nuclear ballistic missiles to the Air Force Space Command (AFSPACECOM), and now manages all missile warning, space surveillance, space launch, and satellite control functions.

July 21 Over Bosnia, small arms fire damages a C-141 Starlifter, and humani­tarian operations are temporarily sus­pended. The aircraft returns to Rhein – Main Air Base, Germany, with 25 holes in its fuselage and wings.

At Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the Air Force transfers F-16s of the 86th Fighter Wing to Aviano Air Base, Italy, thereby concluding all fighter operations there.

July 24-October 6 Over Zaire, Operation support hope begins as Air Mobility Command (AMC) transports fly in humanitarian relief to thousands of refugees in nearby Rwanda. A total of 3,660 tons of supplies is delivered by air­craft from 22 airlift wings.

AUGUST 2 At Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, two B-52s from the 2nd Bomb Wing circumnavigate the globe in 47.2 continuous hours and five aerial refuel­ings, setting a new world record. They then land in Kuwait on the fourth anni­versary of the Iraqi invasion.

AUGUST 3 A B-52 launches a Pegasus

rocket at high altitude, which then suc­cessfully places a satellite in Earth orbit.

AUGUST 4 Brigadier General Susan L. Pamerleau becomes the first female com­mander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.

In Kansas, two B-1B Lancers from the 384th Bomb Group and the 184th Bomb Group (Kansas ANG), fly a 19-hour non­stop mission to Hawaii in another display of strategic air power.

AUGUST 5 Over Bosnia, after heavy weapons are stolen from a UN com­pound, two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs destroy a Serbian armored vehicle near Sarajevo in retaliation.

AUGUST 24—25 On Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean, Air Force transports evacuate over 1,000 people as a huge typhoon approaches.

August 31-September 10 In Cuba, Operation safe haven unfolds as the Air Force transports thousands of Cuban and Haitian refugees from crowded facilities at Guantanamo Bay to Panama.

September 9 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space shuttle Discovery lifts off with a crew of four Air Force officers and two civilian technicians.

SEPTEMBER 19 In Haiti, Air Force trans­ports supply logistical support throughout the life of Operation uphold democracy.

September 26 At Poltava Air Base, Ukraine, a B-52 Stratofortess, a B-1B Lancer, and a KC-10 Extender make the first appearance of American warplanes since the shuttle-bombing missions of World War II.

October 4 F-16 Falcons replace the few

remaining F-4G Wild Weasel air defense suppression aircraft.

OCTOBER 10 In Kuwait, Operation vigi­lant warrior unfolds as Air Force war­planes arrive to deter possible Iraqi aggression in the Persian Gulf region. Within days the number of aircraft increases from 77 to 270, including F – 15s, F-16s, and A-10s.

OCTOBER 14—16 At Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, two C-17 Globemaster Ills perform their first logistical mission by conveying military supplies to Saudi Arabia. This 17.2-hour jaunt is also the longest flight logged by C-17s to date.

OCTOBER 26 In Washington, D. C., General Ronald R. Fogleman gains appointment as the Air Force chief of staff; he is also the first Air Force Acad­emy graduate to hold this position. Chief Master Sergeant David J. Campanale also becomes chief master sergeant of the Air Force.

OCTOBER 30 At Vladivostok, Russia, a C-141 Starlifter arrives, loaded with 20 tons of medical supplies, blankets, and tarpaulins to assist flood victims.

October 31-November 1 In Kuwait,

a pair of B-1B Lancers fly nonstop for 25 hours from Ellsworth Air Force Base, North Dakota, to reach a bombing range.

This mission also marks the B-1’s opera­tional debut in the Persian Gulfregion.

NOVEMBER 6—8 In Egypt, a pair of C – 141 Starlifters arrives with 37 tons of relief goods to assist the victims of recent flash flooding.

November 21—23 Over occupied Croatia, NATO and the Air Force strike Serbian airfields and missile sites at Ubdina, in retaliation for a Serb attack on Bihac.

In Kazakhstan, Project sapphire unfolds as two C-5 Galaxies remove 1,300 pounds of enriched uranium to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, for safekeeping from terrorists.

December 17-21 In Albania, the 94th Air Lift Wing dispatches a C-130 Her­cules loaded with clothing, furniture, and beds to assist orphan shelters there.

December 22 At Edwards Air Force Base, the first of three Lockheed SR-71 Blackbirds arrives; they have been reacti­vated for research purposes.

December 29 Off the coast of Ireland, the 56th Rescue Squadron dispatches helicopters that save eight Dutch sailors from their sinking vessel.

JANUARY This month the Air Force dis­bands the Trailblazers, a precision flying demonstration team first formed in 1948.

JANUARY 7 At Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, C-123 Providers are assigned to Operation ranch hand, a massive defoliation campaign, to deny communist units cover in the jungle undergrowth. This project lasts nine years and is not finally halted until January 7, 1991.

January 10—11 A B-52H flown by Major clyde P. Evely sets a new unrefu­eled flight distance of 12,532 miles by fly­ing between Okinawa to Madrid, Spain, in 22 hours and 10 minutes.

JANUARY 13 Over South Vietnam, Air Force C-123 Providers fly the first ranch hand defoliation mission.

JANUARY 29 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the final Titan I ICBM test firing occurs; of 47 tests, 34 are successful while only 3 are complete failures.

FEBRUARY 2 Over South Vietnam, a ranch hand C-123 crashes while on a defoliant training mission, and Captain Fergus C. Groves, Captain Robert D. Larson, and Sergeant Milo B. Coghill become the Air Force’s first fatalities in Southeast Asia.

FEBRUARY 11 In Berlin, East Germany, U-2 pilot Francis G. Powers is exchanged for a Soviet agent after serving a year and a half in a Russian prison for spying.

MARCH 5 A B-58 Hustler flown by Captains Robert G. Sowers, Robert MacDonald, and John T. Walton, 43rd

Bombardment Group, establishes three world air speed records by flying from New York to Los Angeles and back in 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 11 seconds at an average speed of 1,044.5 miles per hour.

MARCH 16 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the 100-foot tall Titan II missile is test launched for the first time.

MARCH 21 A B-58 Hustler, traveling at 870 miles per hour, test ejects an escape capsule at 35,000 feet. The passenger—a bear—lands safely after a seven-minute parachute descent.

MARCH 22 At Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, four Convair F-102 Delta Daggers are deployed from Clark Air Force Base, the Philippines, in response to sightings of unidentified air­craft over the region.

APRIL 18—20 At Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, the 724th Strategic Missile Squadron (SMS) becomes the first operational Titan I unit. It possesses nine of the huge missiles, all stored in hardened underground silos. The first Titan goes on operational alert two days later.

APRIL 22 Aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran breaks 68 world records when she becomes the first woman to cross the Atlantic in a Lockheed Jetstar named Scarlet O’Hara. She is also the first woman to make a transatlantic crossing in a jet.

APRIL 26 The high-speed, high-altitude Lockheed A-12 makes its maiden flight; it is a forebear of the more famous SR- 71 Blackbird.

April 27 At Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the Special Air Warfare Center is created.

June 19 The classified Dyna-Soar space vehicle receives the designation X-20.

June 29 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, a military crew launches a Minuteman mis­sile for the first time and it flies 2,300 miles downrange.

July 9 Over Johnson Island in the Pacific, Operation dominic unfolds as a 1 megaton warhead is shot to an altitude of248 miles before being detonated. This is the highest thermonuclear blast and the electromagnetic pulse it generates is felt 800 miles away in Hawaii.

July 17 The X-15-1 hypersonic rocket aircraft piloted by Major Robert M. White reaches an altitude of 58.7 miles above the Earth’s surface at a speed of 3,784 miles per hour. Because White is technically in space, he becomes the first Edwards test pilot to acquire astronaut’s wings.

July 19 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, an Atlas missile is launched towards Kwajalein Island, where its nose cone is successfully intercepted by a Nike-Zeus antimissile missile. This marks the first time that an ICBM has been intercepted by a missile, the equivalent of one bullet hitting another.

August 1 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, an Atlas F missile is test launched for the first time from an under­ground silo, and it travels 5,000 miles downrange to the Pacific Test Range.

August 9 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Air Force simultaneously launches two Atlas D missiles to demonstrate its multiple countdown capabilities.

September 14 NASA announces the names of the next nine astronauts selected for the new Gemini space program. Of these, four are Air Force officers: Major Frank Borman, and Captains James A. McDivitt, Edward H. White, and Thomas P. Stafford.

September 18 A B-58 Hustler flown by Major Fitzhugh L. Fulton zooms to an altitude of 85,360 feet while carrying an 11,000-pound payload. The record remains unbroken to the present day.

OCTOBER 14 Over Cuba, a U-2 piloted by Major Steve Heyser, 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, photographs irrefutable evidence of Soviet ballistic missiles deployed there. This sets in motion a chain of events culminating in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

OCTOBER 17 High above the Earth, a Vela Hotel satellite detects a ground – based nuclear explosion for the first time.

October 17—22 Over Cuba, the U. S. Air Force U-2s and RF-101Cs, backed by Navy RF-8 aircraft, continue high­speed reconnaissance flights and discover several Soviet IL-28 Beagle bombers on Cuban airfields.

OCTOBER 22 Once President John F. Kennedy declares a blockade of Cuba until all Soviet offensive weapons are removed, the Strategic Air Comm­and (SAC) places all its units on 24-hour alert. All B-47s are dispersed for their protection while B-52s maintain a continuous orbit outside of Soviet air­space where they can easily be seen on radar.

OCTOBER 25 Over the Atlantic, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) sends RB-47s and KC-97 Stratotankers to assist the Navy to locate Soviet vessels heading for Cuba.

October 27 Over Cuba, a U-2 piloted

by Major Rudolph Anderson of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing is shot down and killed by a Soviet missile. He is posthumously awarded the first Air Force Cross for his sacrifice.

At Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, all Minuteman I missiles of the 10th Strategic Missile Squadron are placed on high alert.

October 28 After the Soviet Union agrees to remove all its offensive weapons from Cuba, the Air Force and other service elements begin to stand down. The United States, for its part, agrees to remove all obsolete Jupiter missiles from bases in Turkey.

OCTOBER 29 Over Cuba, photographic intelligence relayed by Air Force RF – 101C Voodoos reveals that the Soviets are complying with the agreement to remove all missiles and jets from the island.

NOVEMBER 2 In the wake of the Chinese invasion of northern India, President John F. Kennedy authorizes Operation long skip to transfer over 1,000 tons of military equipment to Indian forces. The Miliary Air Transport Service (MATS) complies with its new C-135 jet trans­ports and completes the task in only two weeks.

NOVEMBER 24 General Dynamics and Grumman contract with the Department of Defense to construct and build the new Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX), a variable-swept wing, twin – engined jet fighter capable of carrying

20,0 pounds of ordnance at two-and – a-half times the speed of sound.

December 5 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Atlas missile test program ter­minates with the 151st launch; 101 of these are successful.

DECEMBER 13—14 Over New Mexico, Project stargazer unfolds as Captain Joseph A. Kittinger and a civilian astrono­mer, William C. White, drift to 82,000 feet with a telescope in their gondola for the clearest possible view of the stars. They remain aloft for 18 hours.

December 27 The Air Force orders six of the top secret Lockheed SR-71 high-speed, high-altitude reconnaiss­ance aircraft; it enters service as the Black­bird.