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[...]
1983
FEBRUARY At Lagos, Nigeria, 15 tons of communications equipment are conveyed by a C-141 Starlifter to replace a telecommunication center that burned down.
FEBRUARY 1 In Honduras, a show of solidarity against regional Communist-inspired insurgencies unfolds as Air Force units participate in Operation ahuas tara I with forces from Central American countries. This maneuver is aimed at the Communist dictatorship in Nicaragua, then fomenting guerilla insurgencies throughout the region.
At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the 868th Tactical Missile Training Squadron begins handling ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) for future deployment in Europe.
FEBRUARY 2 At Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, pilots begin training to fly the new F-16 Fighting Falcon.
FEBRUARY 3 All Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles are retrofitted with modified reentry systems designed to enhance retaliatory capabilities.
MARCH At Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team flies F-16 fighters for the first time.
MARCH 1 At Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, the Twenty-Third Air Force organizes to conduct missions involving combat rescue, weather reconnaissance, missile site security, and aircrew special operations training.
At Hurlburt Field, Florida, the 1st Special Operations Wing arrives and is reassigned from the Tactical Air Command (TAC) to the Miliary Airlift Command (MAC).
MARCH 7 In South Korea, three wings of B-52Gs simulate mine-laying operations off the coast as Team Spirit 83 unfolds.
MARCH 15—28 At the Pacific Missile Test Range, Kwajalein, a B-52 successfully fires three Navy AGM – Harpoon antiship missiles. The Strategic Air Command (SAC) is presently seeking ways of performing sea interdiction missions against the formidable Red Navy.
April 1 The Strategic Air Command (SAC) yields 4 installations and 31 operational units to Space Command, as the majority ofthese are concerned with missile warning and space surveillance missions.
April 1—8 In Colombia, floods and earthquakes prompt C-130 Hercules aircraft to transport 34 tons of shelters, medical supplies, and electric generators to assist survivors.
April 5—10 After southeastern Louisiana is severely flooded by torrential rains, Air Force C-141 Starlifters convey 83 tons of food and medical supplies to victims.
APRIL 26 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the first crews training to handle ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) graduate and are assigned to tactical missile wings in Europe.
May 1 Over the Bahamas, Air Force aircraft surveillance missions commence to assist law enforcement agencies and help suppress drug smuggling operating offshore.
June 4 At Hill Air Force Base, Utah, a final flyby is arranged for the few remaining F-105s in the Air Force Reserve before being retired from active service.
June 17 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, an MX (Peacekeeper) missile is launched for the first time with multiple dummy warheads. These are programmed to splash down in the Kwajalein test range.
June 26 In northwestern Peru, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) dispatches three C-130 Hercules aircraft to provide relief supplies for victims of recent flooding.
July 1 The Air Force deploys a provisional support squadron at Riyadh Air Base, Saudi Arabia, in light of the ongoing Iran-Iraq War. The oil-rich region of the Persian Gulf remains an area of vital strategic interest to the United States and the West.
July 7 At McEntire Air National Guard Base, South Carolina, the 169th Tactical Fighter Group is the first Guard unit to receive F-16As.
On this day, General Dynamics also completes its 1,000th Falcon of the 2,165 ordered by the Air Force.
July 24—August 6 In western Ecuador, the Air Force dispatches two UH-1 helicopters to deliver medical supplies and personnel to flood victims.
AUGUST Over Minnesota, the 907th Tactical Airlift Group dispatches three
C-123 Providers to spray insecticide to fight an encephalitis epidemic in 11 counties.
AUGUST 1 At Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, a microburst inflicts $465,000 in damages; the storm was packing 120- mile-per-hour winds.
AUGUST 10 In Washington, D. C., Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger announces that 100 MX (Peacekeeper) missiles will be deployed in existing Minuteman silos.
August 15-September 15 The Air
Force dispatches 12 Starlifters to convey 185 tons of cargo to the African nation of Chad in support of an ongoing security assistance program.
AUGUST 30 Lieutenant Colonel Guion S. Bluford becomes the first African American to ride in space on the space shuttle Challenger.
SEPTEMBER 1 Over Sakhalin Island, Soviet Union, a Korean Airlines 747 is shot down after it strays into Soviet airspace. Air Force HC130 transports of the 33rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron deploy from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, and comb the waters for survivors; all 269 passengers perish.
SEPTEMBER 3-25 In Lebanon, Operation rubber wall commences as the Military Airlift Command (MAC) delivers
4,0 tons of supplies in 100 heavy-lift missions in support of marines operating there. The effort involves 85 C-141 Starlifters, 24 C-5 Galaxies, and 4 C-130 Hercules sorties.
SEPTEMBER 5 A Strategic Air Command (SAC) KC-135 piloted by Captain Robert J. Goodman refuels an F-4E Phantom II jet four times over water and even tows it along with the refueling boom until it lands safely; Goodman receives the Mackay Trophy.
September 28 The Air Force declares its EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft operational after extensive testing; pilots dub it the “Spark Vark” because of its extensive electronic suite.
OCTOBER 1 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the last operational B-52D arrives for a final resting place in the “bone yard.”
OCTOBER 4-5 Over Maricopa, Arizona,
the 302nd Special Operations Squadron deploys four CH-3 helicopters to rescue 57 civilians trapped by floodwaters.
OCTOBER 6 Three B-52Gs are modified by the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to carry and fire the AGM-Harpoon antiship missile. These aircraft are intended to perform maritime interdiction missions against the Red Navy.
OCTOBER 23 In Beirut, Lebanon, transports of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) convey 239 dead and 95 wounded marines, the victims of a terrorist truck bombing, to European and American hospitals.
OCTOBER 25-30 Over Grenada, Air Force MC-130s drop paratroopers on Point Salines, Grenada. Lieutenant Colonel James L. Hobson, Jr., manages to keep his aircraft under control despite intense antiaircraft fire, guiding the mission to success; he wins a Mackay Trophy. Transports of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) and the Air Force Reserve also fly 11,389 passengers and 7,709 tons of cargo to facilitate Operation urgent fury. A total of 496 sorties are performed by C-141 Starlifters, C-5 Galaxies, and C-130 Hercules aircraft.
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OCTOBER 26 At the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, initial operational capability is achieved by the initial batch of five F-117 Nighthawks. Ongoing operations are conveniently covered by the activity of 18 A-7 Corsair IIs.
OCTOBER 27 B-52 Stratofortesses deploy
at air bases for the first time in Spain.
November 1—5 After severe earthquakes rattle northern Turkey, four C-141 Starlifters and six C-130s Hercules transports are dispatched by the Military Airlift Command (MAC) to convey 234 tons of relief supplies to the survivors.
November 23 In Bonn, West Germany, the government ignores the KGB – orchestrated nuclear freeze movement and votes to deploy Air Force ground-
launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) and Army Pershing II ballistic missiles as a counter to Soviet weapons of the same class.
December 3 The Strategic Air Command (SAC) begins inactivating the 571st Strategic Missile Squadron and disbands its Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
December 6 At Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, the new National Transonic Wind Tunnel becomes operational. This device is expressly designed for researching the fastest jets being designed or under construction.
December 23 The 390th Electronic Combat Squadron is the first operational unit equipped with General Dynamics EF-11A Ravens.