The Syrian airfield prepare for reception of military aircraft of China
The latest news about fast emergence in borders of Syria of navy of China encouraged Syrians and res[...]
1970
January 16 At Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, the last few remaining B-58 Hustlers still in Air Force inventory are flown to their final resting place at the “bone yard,” Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
February 17 In northern Laos, B-52 bombers drop bombs on Communist targets for the final time. These actions are not made public until March 6.
February 18 The HL-10 experimental lifting body piloted by Major Peter C. Hoag reaches Mach 1.86 at 65,000 feet. This is an unpowered glide test.
FEBRUARY 27 In Washington, D. C., the Defense Department selects Pratt and Whitney to build a new generation jet engine to power the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the Grum – man F-14 Tomcat then under development.
MARCH 15 A new telephone network called the “AUTOVON” is completed; this device is an automatic voice network linking all U. S. military bases.
MARCH 18 Over Cambodia, B-52s begin pounding suspected Communist positions as U. S. forces also make a limited incursion into the border region. The aerial blitz lasts two months, involves 4,300 sorties, and drops over 120,000 tons of bombs.
April 11—17 The crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft makes a heroic return to Earth after being damaged while coasting to the moon; among the three-man crew is John L. Swigert, Jr., a former Air Force officer.
April 14 At Hill Air Force Base, Utah, a C-141 Starlifter transports a Minuteman III missile to Minot AFB, North Dakota. This is also the first operational example of the new variant.
April 17 At Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, the first Minuteman III missile is handed off to the 741st Strategic Missile Squadron and declared operational.
May 4 At Kent, Ohio, rioting students are fired upon by the Ohio National Guard; four students are killed.
May 5 Across the nation, the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is opened to women for the first time.
May 8 Over Southeast Asia, an AC-119K Shadow gunship under Captain Alan D. Milacek loses 15 feet of the left wing to ground fire as it attacks heavily defended truck convoys along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The aircrew successfully struggle to bring their plane back to base, winning a Mackay Trophy.
June 2 In Peru, a disastrous earthquake compels the Air Force Southern Command to begin a major aerial relief effort. This entails delivering 750 tins of supplies and 3,000 medical personnel, and the evacuation of500 patients.
June 6 The first Lockheed C-51 Galaxy is delivered to the Military Airlift Command (MAC); this is the world’s largest aircraft at the time.
July 31 At Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, the first class of South Vietnamese pilots graduates as part of the Vietnamization program.
August 24 At Da Nang Airport, South Vietnam, 2 HH-53 Sea Stallions arrive on the first nonstop transpacific helicopter crossing; they departed from Elgin Air Force Base, Florida.
SEPTEMBER 1 In South Vietnam, General Lucius D. Clay, Jr., gains appointment as commander of the Seventh Air Force.
SEPTEMBER 6 At Incirlik, Turkey, Operation flat pass unfolds as USAFE deploys C-130s and F-4 Phantoms for the possible rescue of passengers from three airliners hijacked by Palestinian militants. The hostages are eventually released, but the three aircraft are blown up.
September 28-October 31 In
Jordan, Operation fig hill commences as Air Force transports deliver 180 tons of supplies and equipment, along with Army and Air Force medical personnel to that beleaguered kingdom as it battles an uprising by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
OCTOBER 3 At Hurlburt Field, Florida, the Special Operations Center receives the first 2 Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys, the first of 79 such machines acquired. This is also the first Air Force unit to operate this twin-engined machine.
NOVEMBER 21 In North Vietnam, the American raid of Son Tay Prison commences with Air Force helicopters delivering Army Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons to the camp. They are escorted by C-130E Combat Talon aircraft to recover the released prisoners. However, these had been relocated to another location previously and the raiders return empty-handed. The raid was also covered by F-4 Phantoms while F-105s flew diversionary raids elsewhere.