MACDILL AFB,Fla.(AFPN)-A coalition operation in the Oruzgan Province, north of Kandahar, Afghanistan, was conducted June 30 and July 1 that may have resulted in civilian casualties. Close-air support from U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress and AC-130 gunship aircraft struck several ground targets including anti-aircraft artillery sites that were engaging the aircraft, said U.S. entral Command officials. A fact-finding team of officials from the U.S. military, the Afghan government, the American embassy and media representatives will conduct an immediate on-site assessment of the incident, said officials.

A midair collision at 36,000 feet between a Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev TU-154 and a Boeing 757 DHL cargo jet on Monday July 1st killed all 71 aboard

NAVAIR PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- Zulu One, the first AH-1Z Super Cobra prototype, passed the 300-flight hour mark July 2 during a routine envelope expansion test flight.

NORFOLK,Va.(NNS)- Two crewmen were rescued yesterday (July 8) after their F-14 "Tomcat" crashed off the Virginia Capes. The aircraft was from Fighter Squadron 101 (VF 101) based at NAS Oceana. The two-man crew, an instructor pilot and a replacement pilot, successfully ejected from the aircraft and were rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard "Jayhawk" helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station at Elizabeth City.

An AV-8B Harrier jet from Cherry Point's Marine Attack Squadron 231, crashed Monday in the Pamlico River, 30 miles from Cherry Point Air Station.

9th Reconnaissance Wing - BEALE AIR FORCE BASE,Calif.(AFPN)-To stay current with the latest reconnaissance technology, the U-2 fleet here is being upgraded from Block 0, or "legacy" aircraft, to the new Block 10 configuration. The $1.4 billion project, which began in 1998 and will be completed in the next two years, improves the aircraft's data-collecting capability by upgrading the airframe, sensors and data links. The Block 10 upgrade allows the U-2 to collect better imagery more quickly.

Aircraft from Patrol Squadron 9 (VP-9), stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, flexed their muscles recently, striking the ex-USS Rathburne (FF 1057) with two AGM-84D Harpoon missiles in an exercise near the island of Kauai.

COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) - Air Education and Training Command took another step in modernizing its forces when a newly modified T-38C Talon landed here July 23, becoming a permanent part of the aircraft inventory. The T-38C is a converted T-38A aircraft and is sometimes called the "glass cockpit" because of its improved avionics and support systems, making it closer in design to F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-22 Raptor cockpits.

NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI,Japan(NNS)-The "Bob's" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 51 (HSL-51) Det Six spent several days during the Thailand phase of the Cooperation And Readiness Afloat training (CARAT) exercise at the U-Tapao International Airport in Sattahip, Thailand, recently. They were there assisting Royal Thai Navy Squadron Two with maintenance of their Sikorsky S-70B helicopters.

BOISE, Idaho (AFPN) - AF airlift units have begun aerial firefighting flights from the National Interagency Fire Center here against wildfires in the region.The California ANG's 146th Airlift Wing and the Air Force Reserve's 302nd Airlift Wing dropped 5,000 gallons of fire retardant July 12 on Wyoming's Mule fire.Both units redeployed from Hill Air Force Base,located near Salt Lake City, where they had been operating since July 3. The North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing continued operations out of Hill AFB, dropping 68,000 gallons on fires July 13 and 14.Since aerial firefighting operations began at Hill AFB on July 3,Guard and Reserve units have flown more than 100 missions dropping more than 200,000 gallons of fire retardant on fires in Idaho, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN)- The largest training exercise in Pacific Air Forces is under way here and at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska and will run though July 26. As part of this year's Cooperative Cope Thunder, the 354th FW will train alongside U.S. Marines and armed forces from England, France, Japan,Singapore and Spain. Eielson usually holds up to three Cope Thunder exercises and one Cooperative Cope Thunder exercise during the year.The main difference between the exercises is that Cope Thunder involves training of U.S. forces only; while Cooperative Cope Thunder is designed to train allied nations and U.S. forces to fight together as they would in combat.

SINGAPORE (NNS)-Two US Marine Corps CH-53 "Sea Stallion" heavy lift helicopters struck rotor blades while taxiing after landing at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore today. The helicopters were at the airfield on a logistics resupply mission from Paya Lebar to the USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3). One of the helicopters was stationary but still turning its blades when the second helicopter taxied alongside resulting in the rotor tip contact. One Singaporean, who was working in the vicinity, was struck by flying debris and seriously injured. The individual was transported to an area hospital, but later died as a result of his injuries. No crewmembers aboard the helicopters were injured. They are part of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 166, attached to the 11th MEU(Special Operations Capable) based Camp Pendleton, Calif. and are currently embarked on Belleau Wood.

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas(AFPN)- The commander of Air Education and Training Command announced his initial operational capability declaration for the newest training system in the Air Force on July 12. Gen. Don Cook put his stamp of approval on the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System. JPATS, which uses the T-6A Texan II, is a new concept in training that ties together all the logistics necessary to create a total primary pilot package for the Air Force and Navy.

The F-5 Tiger II currently serves with two USN squadrons. NAVAIR is acquiring 32 low-hour F-5E aircraft from Switzerland to be used in the adversary role, keeping Navy fighter pilots' skills honed to a razor-sharp edge. Almost 600 advanced technology modifications have been incorporated into these new "pre-owned" aircraft by the Swiss Air Force. Changes even include a Swiss clock. When the Swiss F-5's are delivered to the U.S. Navy, they will be inducted into a Phased Depot Maintenance program where major structural components including the upper cockpit longerons, wing, and vertical stabilizer are replaced. After the extensive, necessary changes are made on the Swiss aircraft the next NAVAIR challenge will be creating maintenance manuals that apply to the "new" F-5s.

KIRTLAND AFB N.M.- F-16 pilots here are honing their laser firing skills against airborne targets while flying their aircraft without ever leaving the ground. Pilots are using the high energy laser fighter simulator,an F-16 simulator modified to integrate a high energy laser weapon model into an F-16's program. The system can also be used to develop tactics and a concept of operations. AF research laboratory officials are funding and developing the high energy laser fighter simulator in conjunction with Theater Aerospace Command and Control Simulation Facility experts.Lockheed Martin, working with the other agencies is currently investigating the use of the high energy laser on the Joint Strike Fighter.Currently, pilots from the New Mexico ANG's 150th FW provide feedback to the simulator's developers. The ultimate goal is to have the simulator participate in war games to determine the utility of using a high energy laser against conventional warfare weapons.

MIAMI (AFPN)- An Air Force MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft with 10 people on board crashed Aug. 7 near the town of Caguas,about five miles south of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aircraft was on a training flight from Naval Station Roosevelt Roads to Borinquen ANG Base on the west coast of Puerto Rico. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

CHINA LAKE, Calif.(NNS)- The International High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) Upgrade Project (IHUP) successfully completed its second Precision Navigation Upgrade (PNU) test at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) western test range last week. The Precision Navigation Upgrade is designed to greatly improve HARM's capability to detect, locate and destroy enemy air defenses. It will improve HARM's accuracy in restrictive areas in order to minimize collateral damage and fratricide to non-military targets.This is to be accomplished through the inclusion of the global positioning system and a new inertial measurement unit (GPS/IMU).

DYESS AFB, Texas(AFPN)-A year after the B-1 Lancer consolidation plan was first announced people here are seeing the first steps take shape.The plan, announced last year, calls for the B-1 fleet to be consolidated here and at Ellsworth AFB, S.D. The other three bases where B-1s were assigned have already ceased bomber ops. McConnell AFB, Kan.,and Robins AFB, Ga., have begun transferring aircraft to Ellsworth and Dyess. All seven of the B-1s that were originally at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, have already moved to Ellsworth.The plan also calls for the fleet to be reduced by more than 30 aircraft.Another visible change is the recent addition of two units to the base. Det.1 of the USAF Weapons School and Det.2 of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group transferred here from Ellsworth.The detachments train B-1 instructors and perform B-1 operational tests and evaluations. The move to Dyess consolidates all B-1 aircrew training here.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE,Ohio -- Experts from the large aircraft infrared countermeasures program here got the green light Aug. 22 to begin low-rate initial production of the system.They hope to deliver the first laser-protected transport to Air Mobility Command in early 2004. The production decision, made after extensive laser and live-fire tests conducted earlier this year, gives Aeronautical Systems Center officials permission to buy the first four LAIRCM production ship sets, with an additional nine systems scheduled for purchase in 2003. AMC officials have asked the special program office experts to equip enough transports to support one small-scale contingency, a total of 79 aircraft.

-Following a comprehensive trade study between the manufacturers of helmet-mounted displays, Thales Avionics' TopOwl Helmet Mounted Sight and Display system, was selected by Bell Helicopter to equip 180 Cobra AH-1Z and 100 Huey UH-1Y helicopters for the United States Marine Corps. Thales Avionics will deliver 16 pre-production units starting in November this year, with roduction of 560 TopOwl units to kick off early 2004.