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[...]
1985
January Headquarters, Strategic Air Command (SAC) determines that the recent fire at a Titan II silo at McConnell Air Force Base could have been avoided with better procedures. Once these changes are in place, deactivation ofthese elderly ICBMs continues as scheduled.
January 1 Lieutenant Colonel David E. Faught, 97th Bombardment Wing, having spent 13 hours of attempting to lower the nose gear of a KC-135, makes a successful nose gear-up landing without seriously damaging his aircraft; he receives a Mackay Trophy.
January 4 Major Patricia M. Young becomes the first female to lead an Air Force Space Command unit when she is appointed commander of Detachment 1, 20th Missile Warning Squadron.
January 5 An Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashes in the Andes Mountains, prompting the Military Airlift Command (MAC) to dispatch a C-141 Starlifter with a Sikorsky S-70 helicopter to look for possible survivors.
January 18-23 Continuing C-141 Starlifter flights to the Sudan are ordered by the Military Airlift Command (MAC) to assist ongoing relief efforts; 62 tons of food are eventually delivered.
January 19-21 The 75th and 312th
Military Airlift Squadrons send two C-5 Galaxies and one C-141 Starlifter with 186 tons relief supplies to Viti Levu, Fiji, after a hard pounding by Typhoon Eric.
January 24-27 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, Colonel Loren J. Shriver pilots the space shuttle Discovery on its first allmilitary mission; at 73 hours, 33 minutes, this is also one of the shortest shuttle missions.
January 28 At Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, two H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters are dispatched to help rescue 10 shipwrecked Korean fishermen.
FEBRUARY 3 At Howard Air Force Base, Panama, C-141 Starlifters of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) fly to Argentina in the wake of a devastating earthquake that results in 12,000 refugees.
February 4 The practice of gender-
specific missile launch crews (either male or female) is instituted by the Strategic Air Command (SAC) for all Minuteman and Peacekeeper facilities. Women were previously restricted to Titan II launch sites.
MARCH 5—9 In Sudan, Niger, and Mali, Air Force transports complete four famine-relief missions by flying in 123 tons of food to victims.
MARCH 8 In the Bahamas, helicopters provided by the Military Airlift Command help police and U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials bust a $320 million cocaine-smuggling effort. This joint drug interception campaign continues through the following month.
MARCH 15 In Chile, a Military Airlift Command C-5 Galaxy delivers 1,000 rolls of plastic sheeting to assist victims of a devastating earthquake.
MARCH 25 The Air Force now allows women to function as forward air controllers (FAC) and as crew members on C-130 transports and gunships.
April 4 In Washington, D. C., retired Air Force leader James H. Doolittle is elevated to full (four-star) general; he becomes the first Air Force Reserve officer so honored.
APRIL 5 Over drought-stricken western North Carolina, two C-141 Starlifters and a C-130 Hercules arrive with 10 tons of firefighting equipment, 21,000 gallons of fire retardant, and 190 firefighters to contain a large fire which devastated
7,0 acres across six counties.
April 20 The first B-52 crews completely trained in Harpoon antiship missile operations are graduated and deployed with front-line units.
April 29—May 17 At Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, Salty Demo, an exercise to gauge the ability to defend bases against an attack and resume combat operations, is sponsored by the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE).
June 21—July 25 In southern Idaho, three C-123K Providers arrive for aerial spraying purposes. They cover 795,000 acres in 73 sorties to contain a severe locust infestation.
June 29 The first Rockwell B-1B Lancer strategic bomber is accepted by the Air Force; only 100 are scheduled for acquisition owing to their considerable expense.
The 60th Bombardment Squadron becomes the second B-52G unit trained and equipped to fire Harpoon antiship missiles in an interdiction mission at sea.
At Naval Air Station, New Orleans, Louisiana, the 159th Tactical Fighter Group becomes the first Air National Guard (ANG) unit equipped with F-15 Eagles.
June 30 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the Air Force Space Command completes flight-testing of the new MX (Peacekeeper) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
July 1 At Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, the 7th Bombardment Wing becomes the first B-52H unit equipped to operate air – launched cruise missiles (ALCMs).
At Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany, a C-141 Starlifter from the 438th Military Airlift Wing transports 39 passengers from TWA Flight 847, which had been hijacked and flown to Lebanon. Vice President George H. W. Bush is on hand to greet them upon arrival.
July 2-10 Over California and Idaho in C-141 Starlifters transport 285 firefighters to staging areas to combat a series of huge forest fires. Meanwhile, C-130s complete 200 sorties by spreading 450 tons of flame retardant across 1.5 million acres.
July 7 At Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, the first operational B-1B Lancers arrive at the 96th Bombardment Wing, Strategic Air Command (SAC).
July 15 Two B-52Gs from the 42nd Bombardment Wing simulate Harpoon missile launches for test and evaluation purposes during the United States Atlantic Command exercise Readex 85-2.
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An air-to-air left side view of an F-15 Eagle aircraft releasing an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile during a test, 1985. (U. S. Department of Defense) |
July 30 The Air Force officially terminates the Bomarc aerial target drone (CQM-10B) program.
AUGUST 12-15 In response to a request from the State Department, a C-5A Galaxy of the 436th Military Airlift Wing delivers 35 tons of food and equipment to assist famine victims in western Sudan.
AUGUST 23 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, a Minuteman III missile is “cold launched” out of its silo using compressed air for the first time. Through this procedure, the missile ignites once airborne, resulting in less damage to the silo and quicker reloading.
September 10 The Lockheed C-5B Galaxy flies for the first time; the Air Force intends to acquire 50 ofthese giant transports by April 1989.
September 13 A Vought ASM-135 antisatellite missile is fired by an F-15 Eagle while 290 miles above the Earth, destroying the orbiting Defense Department satellite P78-1. This constitutes the first – ever satellite interception.
September 21-30 A devastating earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico, results in Air Force transports delivering over 360 tons of food and medicine to survivors.
SEPTEMBER 23 First Lady Nancy Reagan is conveyed by a transport from the 89th Military Airlift Wing to Mexico City, Mexico, where she expresses condolences and presents the government with a check for $1 million.
OCTOBER 11 AC-141 Starlifter from the
438th Military Airlift Wing transports 11 American hostages from the Achille Lauro to Newark, New Jersey.
OCTOBER 15 At Edwards Air Force Base the T-46A next generation trainer flies for the first time.
OCTOBER 16 Two Air Force H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters rescue the crew of the shipwrecked Philippine vessel Marcos Faberes.
OCTOBER 18 A General Dynamics F – 111A, modified with a mission adaptive wing (MAW) flies for the first time.
November 1 The Dutch government,
ignoring protests from antinuclear groups and KGB-orchestrated peace movements, approves deployment of Air Force ground-launched cruise missiles at Woensdrecht, the Netherlands.
November 4 In the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center orchestrates helicopter missions that save 47 lives from rapid floodwaters.
November 15—18 In the wake of a severe volcanic eruption, Air Force transports lift 50 tons of food and supplies to Colombia.
December 6 At Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, the 19th KC-10 Extender aircraft arrives, completing the first fully operational tanker squadron to employ that aircraft.
December 12 After a chartered Arrow Air airliner crashes near Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, killing 248 members of the 101st Airborne Division, Air Force C-141s and C-130s are required to airlift all the bodies back to the United States, along with 125 tons of cargo necessary for the cleanup; this remains the worst military aviation disaster.
December 18 OffLubang, Philippines, helicopters dispatched by the Western Pacific Rescue Coordination Center rescue 78 passengers from the sinking ship Asuncion Cinco.
December 31 McDonnell Douglas contracts with the Air Force to build the new C-17A long-range, heavy-lift cargo transport. This aircraft will combine the lifting capability of the C-5A Galaxy, with the short field landing abilities of the C-130 Hercules.