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US Air Force

US Air Force
US Air Force: A branch of the United States Armed Forces, headquartered at The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Its primary mission is to "fly, fight, and win... airpower anytime, anywhere," ensuring global vigilance, reach, and power. Key activities include air superiority, global strike, and rapid global mobility. As the world’s largest air force, this governmental body is central to national security and is significantly investing in the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme to develop sixth-generation fighter aircraft and advanced combat systems.
A state television documentary showed PLA Rocket Force officer Luo Tingrong in front of a satellite image of an airbase that looked like Kadena in Okinawa. Photo: CCTV
China’s military drills

Has China’s missile force got America’s Kadena base in Japan in its sights?

Satellite image of facility that appeared to be the Okinawa airbase seen in state television documentary as PLA officer discussed drills.

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Aviation accidents

Wreckage of Pan Am plane found decades after crash that changed aviation safety

Donald Trump

Trump’s new Air Force One to be ‘maxed out’ following missile defence fears

Donald Trump

Scare Force One? Security questions swirl over Trump’s new plane

The Secret Service advised the US president to switch from the luxury jet gifted by Qatar to an older aircraft, reports say.

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press for the first time aboard the new Air Force One while in flight from RAF Mildenhall AFB to Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Trump switches back to old Air Force One, raising questions about Qatari jet

Asked if an assassination threat prompted the move, the US president did not answer directly but said: ‘I’m No 1 on the kill list for Iran’.

Donald Trump

Trump unveils new Air Force One, as he plans trips to China and Turkey

The US president’s use of an aircraft – worth hundreds of millions of dollars – from Qatar has raised ethical and security concerns.

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Donald Trump

Is it goodbye Air Force One, hello Qatar Force One?

Cryptic messages from White House officials signal the retirement of ageing presidential aircraft.

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Air Force One landing at Geneva Airport ahead of the G7 summit on Monday. Photo: AP
Aviation accidents

8 dead after B-52 bomber crashes at US military base in California

The plane crashed soon after take-off on Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California’s Mojave Desert.

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US-China relations

Can America sustain a war with China? New reports raise questions

US watchdog cites ageing aircraft, spare-part shortages, maintenance challenges, expertise gaps and delays fielding advanced tankers.

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Donald Trump

US considers ‘buying’ Chagos Islands from Mauritius

Reported proposal outlines direct deal with Mauritius after the US criticised the UK’s plan to cede sovereignty.

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Chagos Islands is home to the ‌US-British Diego Garcia air base. Photo: US Navy via AP
China's military weapons

China’s PL-15 missile has downed Rafale jets. Is the PL-16 even more powerful?

An unverified briefing slide has emerged with details of the new weapon, weeks after an image appeared of America’s AIM-260.

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A Chinese J-16 fighter jet loaded with missiles including the PL-15, which has a range of 200km. Photo: Handout
Aviation accidents

‘Miraculous’ rescue off US coast as 11 survive crash and 5-hour sea ordeal

Rescuers hoist final survivor into helicopter with just minutes of fuel remaining as a thunderstorm approached.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

‘A flying White House’: Trump’s Air Force One fuels fascination in China

Hundreds of Beijing residents join professional photographers at vantage points near airport to capture arrival of the presidential plane.

United States

US aims to deploy Qatar-gifted luxury jet as Air Force One for Fourth of July

There are efforts to possibly deliver the Boeing 747 even earlier, to align with Trump’s birthday on June 14.

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Ocala International Airport in Florida on Friday. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Are US Air Force C-17s flying cars into Beijing for Trump’s China trip?

American military cargo planes have been spotted at the Chinese capital’s main airport, suggesting that the high-stakes visit is still on.

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Two US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft have been seen at Beijing Capital International Airport in the past few days. Photo: Handout
Extreme weather

Searchers find body of 1 of 6 missing crew members after typhoon overturns ship

The crew of the Mariana notified the US Coast Guard on April 15 that the vessel lost its starboard engine during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

Crime

Bomb allegedly left at US base by Alen Zheng was built inside 2 Pepsi bottles

The revelation of the bomb’s make-up comes amid questions of how it sat outside the military installation for six days without being found.

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US-China relations

Siblings who fled to China charged over bomb planted outside US Air Force base

Alen Zheng remains at large, while Ann Mary Zheng was arrested after she returned to the US; their mother has been detained for deportation.

MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Photo: Reuters
China's military weapons

PLA reveals AI-assisted aerial refuelling system days after US tanker crash

PLA Air Force details streamlined operations that pair tankers and fighters, with real-time recommendations for pilots.

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump and Starmer hold call on Middle East after rebuke over Iran

Phone call came after Trump mounted his latest criticism of the British leader over a perceived lack of support for the US campaign against Iran.

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US, Israel war on Iran

4 US bombers land in UK as Iran war continues

British PM Keir Starmer has granted permission for ‘defensive’ US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.

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A US Air Force bomber comes in to land at RAF Fairford in south west England on Saturday. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Gulf states take the fight to Iran as missiles target oil, gas and trade

The UAE, Qatar and others had a plan for staying out of a US-Iran war. It relied on the assumption that Iran would leave them out of it too.

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A plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on Sunday. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Ex-US Air Force fighter pilot accused of secretly training Chinese military

Gerald Eddie Brown Jr allegedly provided ‘defence services’ after 24-year Air Force career training US pilots on advanced combat aircraft.

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United States

‘Baby blue’ out, gold in: how Air Force One will look after Trump’s order

Air Force One’s next look marks a big departure from the current white and two-tone blue livery.

Donald Trump

As US carrier fleet sails near Iran, Trump faces ‘no easy levers’ against Tehran

Analysts evaluate the difficult options of a US air strike, killing of Iran’s top leaders, covert operations and counter-intelligence.

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The USS Abraham Lincoln (left) transits the Strait of Hormuz in 2019. A US naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier was deployed to Middle Eastern waters, the US said on Monday. Photo: AFP/ US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Pearson
Iran

Iran unveils bloody anti-US billboard as carrier force nears

Graphic mural in Tehran shows a destroyed aircraft carrier in a warning to the Trump administration against military intervention.

The billboard depicts a damaged US aircraft carrier with disabled fighter jets on its deck. Photo: AP
United States

US’ FAA warns airlines to ‘potential risks’ in Mexican, South American airspace

The warnings come a month after a JetBlue passenger jet almost collided with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela ‌.

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Fame and celebrity

Dick Van Dyke turns 100: 5 things to know about the Mary Poppins star

We look back on what the actor – best known as chimney sweep Bert in Mary Poppins – has said about Walt Disney, James Bond and the key to ageing gracefully.

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