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[...]
1988
JANUARY 1 Mixed male/female teams to serve as Minuteman and Peacekeeper strategic missile crews are allowed by the Strategic Air Command (SAC) for the first time.
JANUARY 20 At Palmdale, California, the 100th Rockwell B-1B Lancer strategic bomber rolls off the assembly line. This is also the last example acquired.
JANUARY 25—28 In Manila, the Philippines, two C-5 Galaxy transports from the 60th Military Airlift Wing arrive with 102 tons of medical supplies to refresh the stocks of Americares, a private relief organization.
February 19-22 A C-141 of the 86th Military Airlift Wing conveys 50 tons of construction materials to repair housing in the Marshall Islands, recently battered by Typhoon Roy.
MARCH 16-28 In Honduras, Operation golden pheasant unfolds as Air Force transports convey 3,200 Army troops to counter Nicaraguan Sandinista threats to the region.
APRIL In Panama, 8 C-5 Galaxies and 22 C-141 Starlifters from the Military Airlift Command (MAC) convey 1,300 security specialists once political instability threatens the safety of Americans living there.
April 17-July 23 A C-5A Galaxy piloted by Captain Michael Eastman of the 436th Military Airlift Wing delivers nuclear test monitoring equipment to the Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. This is in support of joint verification experiments, and Eastman wins the Mackay Trophy for the efforts.
April 18 In the Persian Gulf, Air Force tankers actively refuel Navy aircraft during a confrontation with Iranian naval forces.
April 30 At McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, the final Rockwell B-1B Lancer arrives with the 384th Bombardment Squadron.
May At Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, C-5 Galaxy transports convey 73 tons of relief supplies to Islamabad, Pakistan, to assist refugees fleeing the onset of civil war in neighboring Afghanistan.
June 2—August 11 Sectarian warfare in
southern Sudan prompts transports of the 60th and 436th Miliary Airlift Wings to convey 70 tons of plastic sheeting for shelters, along with food and medical supplies.
July 7 The last F-106 Delta Darts are ordered dropped from the Air Force inventory after three decades of distinguished service.
August 1 The last three F-106 Delta Darts are retired by the 177th Fighter Group; many surviving aircraft end up as remote-controlled target drones.
August 15—28 Air Force C-5 Galaxies from the Military Airlift Command (MAC) fly in 500 UN peacekeepers to help monitor a cease-fire between Turkey and Iraq.
August 22-October 6 At Yellowstone National Park, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) transports 4,000 firefighters and 2,500 tons of equipment directly into a raging fire zone. Other transports, fitted with spraying equipment, apply flame retardant over thousands of acres.
August 25—31 In Somalia, a C-141 Starlifter belonging to the 41st Military Airlift Squadron delivers a 200-bed emergency hospital weighing 200 tons, after the onset of civil war creates an acute refugee problem.
AUGUST 28 On the island of Sao Tome off the west coast of Africa, a C-141 Star – lifter from the 20th Military Airlift Squadron delivers 29 tons of medical supplies and hospital equipment to various facilities.
September Over Seoul, South Korea, an Air Force E-3A Sentry aircraft, escorted by fighters, patrols the airspace above the peninsula to deter any North Korean aggression during the Olympic games there.
September 10—15 In Bangladesh, no less than four Airlift Wings—the 60th, 62nd, 63rd, and 436th—bring 100 million tons of humanitarian supplies to the victims after catastrophic flooding leaves 28 million people homeless.
September 29 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, Discovery is launched into orbit under Air Force Colonel Richard O. Covey. This comes two-and-a-half years after the Challenger space shuttle disaster.
OCTOBER 25 At Marikina, Philippines, severe flooding results in two HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters from the 31st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ASSR) saving 27 stranded residents over an eight-hour period.
NOVEMBER 9 At Niamey, Niger, the 709th Military Airlift Squadron dispatches a C-5 Galaxy with a mobile dental clinic and two ambulances at the behest of the U. S. State Department.
November 10 The existence of the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk is made known to the public. This light bomber employs the smallest radar crosssection of any aircraft at the time, and is virtually invisible to radar. The Air Force acquires 59 F-117s at $42.6 million apiece.
November 16—30 At Dakar, Senegal, aircraft of the 60th, 63rd, 437th, and 438th Military Airlift Wings deliver tons of insecticide to thwart major locust infestations.
NOVEMBER 22 At Palmdale, California, the new Northrop B-2 Spirit bomber is made public; it is reputedly invisible to radar, and also costs a whopping $1 billion per aircraft. The Air Force seeks to acquire 132 such aircraft as its front-line bomber.
November 29 The 60th and final KC – 10 Extender is delivered to the Air Force. This newest version employs wing – mounted refueling pods to complement the traditional, centerline boom.
December 12 In the Pacific Ocean, the 33rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) dispatches a helicopter that saves 11 passengers on a life raft once their vessel sank. They are flown to Clark Air Base for treatment.