2006

JANUARY 14 At the San Antonio Mon­ster Jam, Texas, the Air Force enters a monster truck christened Afterburner in a car-smashing contest; it loses to the equally huge competitor Grave Digger.

JANUARY 15 Over northwest Pakistan, a U. S. air strike in the Bajaur tribal region, intended for al-Qaeda second-in­command Ayman al-Zawahiri, kills sev­eral terrorists along with 18 civilians.

FEBRUARY 8 At Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, the first C-17 Globemaster III deploys to that state.

FEBRUARY 22—25 During a three-day aerial exercise off Okinawa, Japan, four F-15s of the 18th Fighter Wing simulta­neously target and fire at aerial decoys for the first time.

MARCH 20 The Air Force deploys the first of its CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor air­craft. Unlike the Marine Corps version, this variant is outfitted for special operations.

MARCH 22 At Davis-Monthan Force Base, Arizona, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs arrive for “Hawgsmoke 2006,” an annual ground support exercise.

JUNE Former astronaut Susan J. Helms takes command of the 45th Space Wing as a newly minted brigadier general.

JUNE 7 Near Baqubah, Iraq, an air strike by two Air Force F-16s kills terrorist ringleader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi at his hiding place. The raid was directed by nearby Special Forces.

June 30 In Washington, D. C., Chief Master Sergeant Rodney J. McKinley gains appointment as chief master ser­geant of the Air Force.

OCTOBER 14 In Arlington, Virginia, cer­emonies mark the dedication of the new Air Force Memorial.

DECEMBER 15 The Lockheed Martin F – 35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter per­forms its maiden flight.