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This article presents a narrative of the author's experience on his 28th combat mission during the Operation Desert Storm. On February 25, 1991, F-16 wingman, Geoff "Grover" Cleveland, and the author arrived at the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron. The unit had deployed five months earlier from Hill AFB, Utah, in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Five weeks into the war, things were going well. The ground phase was underway and allied forces were moving rapidly into Kuwait. Cleveland waited patiently on the tanker's left wing. He dropped into refueling position as the author punched in the primary strike radio frequency and contacted Airborne Warning and Control aircraft.

The article reports that Great Britain is pushing back the full-operation capability date of its Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and extending the service life of the platform it is slated to replace. It has intended to have its Joint Combat Aircraft, as it refers to Lockheed Martin F-35, declared with a full operational capability in 2017, but this date has been slipped to 2021. The only air-to-surface weapon presently earmarked for integration before the full operational capability is the Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bomb.

The article reports that as the Pentagon moves into the final stages of its Quadrennial Defense Review , the four-year assessment of the U.S. military strategy, possible cutbacks in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program are worrying international partners now working on the $60-billion project to build the next-generation combat aircraft. The emphasis on cost control and price was one of the JSF's main attractions for potential international customers.

This article reports that Turkey is being offered full partnership in the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft program. With a Greek deal to purchase the Typhoon near moribund, Eurofighter is turning its attention to Athens' Aegean neighbor as it seeks export sales. Irrespective of Ankara's recent $1.1-billion investment in a Lockheed Martin F-16 upgrade program and Turkey's interest in the F-35, industry executives involved with the Typhoon believe there is an opportunity for the aircraft. The tactic is to position the Typhoon as a complement, rather than a competitor, to the Joint Strike Fighter. In addition to the technology transfer, Turkey would be given source-code software for the Typhoon's avionics and combat systems.