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[...]
1975
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.
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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.