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[...]
1989
JANUARY 7—20 At Monrovia, Liberia, MEDFLY 89, a joint-service humanitarian effort, unfolds as two C-130 Hercules from the 167th Tactical Airlift Group deliver needed medical supplies and personnel.
JANUARY 10 The AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow missile is tested by a B-52 bomber for the first time. This advanced weapon flies to specific coordinates then loiters until radar energy is detected and identified, whereupon it homes in and destroys the target.
FEBRUARY At Dakar, Senegal, the 63rd Military Airlift Wing dispatches two C – 141 Starlifters carrying 20 tons of insecticide to control swarming locusts.
FEBRUARY 16 In California, the T-38 Talon production line is finally closed by
Northrop after the 3,806th supersonic jet trainer is manufactured.
MARCH 27 In Alaska, Military Airlift Command (MAC) transports convey over 1,000 tons of cleanup equipment after 10 million gallons of oil are spilled by the tanker Exxon Valdez.
APRIL In Africa, the 436th Military Airlift Wing delivers 32 pallets of relief supplies to malnourished inhabitants of Gambia, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad.
April 17 At Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, a Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft christened Elf One returns after serving eight years on station over Saudi Arabia.
The U. S. Air Force accepts the 50th and final Lockheed C-5B Galaxy transport.
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May 13—18 In Panama, Operation nimrod dancer unfolds as the Air Force transports fly in 2,600 marines, along with 3,000 tons of equipment, in response to threats to U. S. military personnel.
May 16—June 29 Continuing political unrest in Panama results in Operation blade jewel, whereby Air Force transports evacuate 6,000 nonessential personnel.
June 9—11 In response to a terrible train wreck near Ufa on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, resulting in 850 casualties, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) sends several transports to the Soviet Union with humanitarian supplies for the victims.
June 10 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, Captain Jacquelyn S. Parker becomes the first female graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School.
June 14 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the new Titan IV heavy-lift rocket booster is launched for the first time and carries a Department of Defense satellite aloft.
July 6 In Washington, D. C., President H. W. Bush awards noted aviator James H. Doolittle the Presidential Medal of Freedom; he remains the only American to receive this and a Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s two highest awards.
July 17 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the new Northrop-Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flies for the first time.
AUGUST 16 The first Pacific Air Chiefs Conference is hosted by the Pacific Air Forces, and is attended by ranking airmen from Australia, Japan, the Philippines,
Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. It seeks to promote regional cooperation and security through air power.
September 19-21 The Military Airlift Command (MAC) conveys 4,300 tons of humanitarian supplies after Hurricane Hugo ravages the coast of South Carolina. Meanwhile, RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft from nearby Shaw Air Force Base provide photo coverage to National Guard troops conducting rescue operations.
OCTOBER 1 General Hansford T. John
son becomes the first U. S. Air Force Academy graduate promoted to full (four-star) rank.
OCTOBER 3 The last production U-2R spyplane is delivered to the Air Force by Lockheed; the clandestine fleet now consists of 9 U-2Rs, 26 TR-1As, and 2 TR-1Bs.
OCTOBER 4 A B-1B Lancer piloted by Captain Jeffrey K. Beene, 96th Bombardment Wing, makes a nose – wheel-up landing without seriously damaging the aircraft. Beene wins the Mackay Trophy.
Over Antarctica, a C-5 Galaxy from the 60th Military Airlift Wing lands for the first time at McMurdo Station without skids, and delivers two UH-1N Huey helicopters, 84 tons of supplies, and 72 passengers.
OCTOBER 17 After San Francisco, California, is heavily damaged by an enormous earthquake, transports from the Military Airlift Command (MAC) deliver 250 tons of supplies.
December 14 Women serve as combat crew members on C-130 and C-141 airdrop missions for the first time.
December 20—24 Over Panama, six F – 117s of the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing and special operations AC-130H aircraft from Air Force Special Operations Command participate in Operation just cause. Military Airlift Command (MAC) transports also airdrop 9,500 troops from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, in the biggest nighttime combat operation since the World War II. Furthermore, Air Force Reserve aircraft deliver in 6,000 passengers and 3,700 tons of supplies as hostilities unfold.
The 16th Special Operations Squadron, flying an AC-130H named Air
Papa 06, distinguishes itself in combat during Operation just cause by destroying numerous barracks and antiaircraft gun emplacements at La Comandancia (Panamanian Defense Force headquarters) without inflicting collateral damage to civilian buildings nearby. They win a Mackay Trophy for their mission.
December 29—31 In Bucharest, Romania, two C-130 Hercules from the Military Airlift Command (MAC) deliver 30 tons of medical supplies to treat the victims in the wake of a bloody antiCommunist uprising.