Mesa is a city in Maricopa County,Arizona,United States. It is the third-most populous city in Arizona,after Phoenix and Tucson,the 36th-most populous city in the U.S.,and the most populous city that is not a county seat. The city is home to 504,258 people as of 2020. It is the most populous city in the East Valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west,the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community on the north,Chandler and Gilbert on the south along with Queen Creek,and Apache Junction on the east.
Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in "Military Operations Area (MOA) airspace",associated with the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). The base also has the Combined Air and Space Operations Center-Nellis.
The United States Air Forces in Europe –Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) is a United States Air Force (USAF) major command (MAJCOM) and a component command of both United States European Command (USEUCOM) and United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM). As part of its mission,USAFE-AFAFRICA commands U.S. Air Force units pledged to NATO,maintaining combat-ready wings based from the United Kingdom to Turkey. USAFE-AFAFRICA plans,conducts,controls,coordinates and supports air and space operations in Europe,parts of Asia and all of Africa with the exception of Egypt to achieve U.S. national and NATO objectives based on taskings by the two combatant commanders.
Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) (IATA:SSC,ICAO:KSSC,FAA LID:SSC) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 8.4 miles (13.5 km) west-northwest of downtown Sumter,South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States,and is under the jurisdiction of USAF Air Combat Command (ACC). The 20th Fighter Wing (20th FW) is the host unit.
Royal Air Force Woodbridge,or more simply RAF Woodbridge,is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Woodbridge and around 7 miles north-east of Ipswich,in the county of Suffolk,England.
MDP Wethersfield is a Ministry of Defence facility in Essex,England,located north of the village of Wethersfield,about 6 mi (9.7 km) north-west of the town of Braintree. Originally an RAF station,the site was later used as the headquarters and training centre of the Ministry of Defence Police until 2022. It now houses asylum seekers.
George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits,8 miles northwest,of central Victorville,California,about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles,California.
The 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base,Alaska,and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force.
Ronald John Garan Jr. is a retired NASA astronaut. After graduating from State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1982,he joined the Air Force,becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1984. He became an F-16 pilot,and flew combat missions in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Before becoming an astronaut he was the Operations Officer of the 40th Flight Test Squadron (FTS). He first flew in space as a mission specialist on the May 2008 STS-124 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He returned to ISS on April 4,2011,for a six-month stay as a member of Expedition 27. Garan is a highly decorated former NASA astronaut who flew on the US Space Shuttle,Russian Soyuz,and International Space Station. In total he spent 178 days in space and more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits of Earth,27 hours and 3 minutes of EVA in four spacewalks,and 18 days on the bottom of the ocean during the NEEMO-9 undersea mission.
The 23rd Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base,Georgia.
The 174th Attack Wing is a unit of the New York Air National Guard,stationed at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base,Syracuse,New York. The 174th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service,the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.
The 178th Wing is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard,stationed at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport ANG complex,Springfield,Ohio. If activated to federal service,the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC),with elements of the wing gained by the Air Force Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (AFISRA).
The 180th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard,stationed at Toledo Air National Guard Base,Ohio. If activated to federal service,the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.
The 162nd Attack Squadron is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard 178th Wing located at Springfield Air National Guard Base,Springfield,Ohio. The 162nd is equipped with the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAV.
The 492d Fighter Squadron,nicknamed "the Madhatters",is part of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath,England,where they operate the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle.
The 138th Attack Squadron is a unit of the New York Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing located at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse,New York. The 138th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).
The 363d Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit. The wing is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force,stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis,Virginia.
The 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 53d Test and Evaluation Group,stationed at Nellis Air Force Base,Nevada. The squadron performs operational testing of all fighter aircraft and munitions entering and in operational use by Air Combat Command.
John C. Giles is an American politician serving as the 40th mayor of Mesa,Arizona. A Republican,Giles previously served as a member of the Mesa City Council from 1996 to 2000. Giles was elected mayor of Mesa in a 2014 special election following the resignation of Mayor Scott Smith.
Royal Air Force Upper Heyford or more simply RAF Upper Heyford is a former Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford,Oxfordshire,England. In the Second World War the airfield was used by RAF Bomber Command. During the Cold War,Upper Heyford was one of the former RAF bases chosen to house the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) nuclear-capable bombers on 90-day TDY deployments until 1959,SAC Reflex Alert deployments from 1959 until 1965,from 1966 United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) tactical reconnaissance aircraft,and from 1970 General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark strike aircraft.
