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[...]
1986
January 8 At Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) receives the first improved C-5B Galaxy transport aircraft.
At Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, the first overseas meteorological data system circuit is installed by the Air Force to replace the obsolete weather teletype system already in place.
January 28 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, tragedy strikes when the space shuttle
Challenger explodes after liftoff. Among those killed are Air Force pilots Francis R. Scobee, Gregory B. Jarvis, Ellison S. Onizuka.
FEBRUARY 18—22 In Northern Califor
nia, Air Force H-3s, HH-53s, and C – 130s of the 49th and 129th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Groups evacuate 500 civilians from along the Russian and Yuba Rivers after they were stranded by severe flooding. Three thousand sandbags are also delivered to Army troops on the ground.
FEBRUARY 25—26 In the Philippines, five H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters from the 31st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) convey President Ferdinand Marcos and 51 people from his palace to Clark Air Base for ultimate removal to Hawaii.
MARCH 3 At Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, the reconnaissance Cessna O-2 aircraft is replaced by the OT-38 Talon.
MARCH 4 In Egypt, operation bright STAR unfolds as aircraft from the United States and Egypt conduct their first joint exercise; this also marks the first time that foreign aircraft are refueled by Air Force tankers.
MARCH 5 Once over the Atlantic, a KC – 10 aircraft, piloted by Captain Marc C. Felman, refuels another KC-10 and three Navy A-4 Skyhawks that were nearly our of fuel. For relieving this emergency situation by launched in zero visibility weather; Felman and his crew win a Mackay Trophy.
In Pakistan, the Air Force beings transporting Afghan refugees and patients to the United States in accordance with the 1986 McCollum Amendment. Afghanistan is then in the throes of a violent Soviet occupation.
MARCH 25 At Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, the first all-woman Minuteman missile crew, belonging to the 351st Strategic Missile Wing, is placed on active alert.
April 5—6 At Osan Air Base, South Korea, a large jet fuel tank fire results in four C-141 Starlifters and one H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopter from the 63rd
Airlift Wing transporting fire-suppressant foam; burn victims are also conveyed to medical facilities in Seoul for treatment.
APRIL 14—15 Over Libya, Operation el dorado canyon unfolds as 24 F-111F bombers from the Statue of Liberty Squadron, 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, launch from Great Britain and perform a retaliatory strike against Tripoli, Libya. Lacking overflight permission from Spain and France, they fly a 5,500-mile round trip around Continental Europe, and inflict heavy damage on the Jamahiriya Military Barracks and Benina Military Airfield. They are also carrier aircraft launched from the America and Saratoga; one F-111 is lost in action. Equally significant, 28 KC-10 Extenders and KC-135 Stratotankers are employed during the attack, and they refuel the strike force six times in complete radio silence.
April 18 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, a Titan IIID rocket booster explodes after launching; Space Launch Complex Four sustains damage and cannot operate again until August 15.
April 28—May 7 The Air Weather Service launches several WC-130s to track and analyze the radioactive fallout in the wake of a nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl, Soviet Union.
June 17 The last remaining UC-133K Provider is retired from spraying activities by the Air Force.
July The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard receive their first C-141 Starlifter transports.
July 19 The United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) declares Rapier surface-to-air missile units operational.
July 19-28 Operation SOUTHERN HAYLIFT unfolds once severe drought conditions across the southwestern United States result in 24 C-141s and 8 C-130s carrying
19,0 bales (536 tons) of hay to livestock farmers in afflicted areas.
July 27 At Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany, an Air Force C-9 Nightingale transports Father Lawrence Jenco, recently released by Muslim extremists, to medical facilities.
AUGUST 27-29 In Cameroon, West Africa, a C-130 Hercules is dispatched from 50th Tactical Airlift Squadron with 250 tents for villagers fleeing volcanic fumes escaping from Lake Nyos.
SEPTEMBER 1 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the last operational Cessna O-2 Bird Dog arrives for disposal in the “bone yard.”
SEPTEMBER 5 In Frankfurt, West Germany, a C-141 Starflifter transports Americans injured during a hijacking attempt to medical facilities. The flight originates in Karachi, Pakistan.
September 18-20 At Luzon, Philippines, two C-5 Galaxies are dispatched by the 436th Military Airlift Wing with 93 tons of food and medical supplies as per the Foreign Assistance Act of 1985.
October 10 The new LGM-118A (MX), or Peacekeeper, intercontinental ballistic missile achieves operational status for the first time. This weapon is capable of attacking up to 10 different targets with its multiple independent reentry vehicle (MIRV) warhead.
October 11-16 After San Salvador, El Salvador, is destroyed by an earthquake,
Air Force transports begin delivering food and relief supplies to survivors.
December 7 A WC-130 Hercules of the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron lands on Saipan, Mariana Islands, in the wake of Typhoon Kim, and delivers seven tons of relief supplies, food, and toys for children.
December 10 Air Force helicopters rescue 19 members of the Norwegian research ship Geco Alpha several miles off the coast ofDestin, Florida, after it caught fire; casualties are subsequently flown to Eglin Air Force base for medical treatment.
December 14-23 From Edwards Air
Force Base, California, the experimental Voyager aircraft, piloted by Richard G. Rutan and Jeana L. Yeager, flies
25,0 miles, nonstop and unrefueled, around the world; they win a Collier Trophy for this record, nine-day venture.
December 18 In the South China Sea, the 31st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) dispatches two H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters that rescue 13 survivors from a sinking Filipino vessel. The injured are then delivered to medical facilities at Cubi Air Station, Philippines.
December 22 At F. E. Warren Air Base, Wyoming, a tenth Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is deployed, leading to all weapons being placed on operational status.
DECEMBER 31 In San Juan, Puerto Rico, 75 people stranded on the roof of the Dupont Plaza Hotel during a fire are rescued by H-3 Sea King helicopters of Composite Squadron 8 (VC-8).