Daily Report

Sept. 4, 2014

Therein Lies the F135 Rub

Investigators think they understand why an F135 engine problem caused an F-35 strike fighter to burn in June, slowing the test and training effort, program manager Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said Wednesday. Speaking at the COMDEF 2014 conference in Washington,...

F-35 Repair Competition

The F-35 program office plans to get regional repair centers to compete for work on the international F-35 fighter fleet, program manager Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan said Wednesday. Two to three “heavy airframe and engine” repair facilities will be certified...

Kendall: Air Force POM “Balanced”

The Air Force’s budget through the 2020s—which includes a new fighter, tanker, bomber, trainer, and ground-mapping radar aircraft—is “reasonably balanced” and “still affordable,” the Pentagon’s acquisition, technology, and logistics chief said Wednesday. Frank Kendall, speaking at the COMDEF 2014 conference...

Other Services Hanging On Too Tight

While Pentagon Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Chief Frank Kendall is pleased with USAF’s approach to its future spending—finding the cash for key future programs by getting smaller now—its sister branches aren’t similarly stepping up, he said Wednesday. Speaking at the...

F-16Ds With Structural Cracks Remain Grounded

The compliance technical order inspection and repair of the two-seat F-16Ds, which were grounded last month for structural cracks on the canopy sill, is continuing and “we have no estimated completion date due to the wide variability in the scope...

Spotlight: TSgt. Ryan E. Gangadeen

TSgt. Ryan E. Gangadeen, the noncommissioned-officer-in-charge of operations training? at the 1st Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo., is one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2014. During a one-year deployment to Afghanistan, Gangadeen...

WGS Anti-Jamming Enhancement Sought

The Air Force is conducting market research to determine how it can enhance the anti-jam capability of the Wideband Global Satellite Communications satellite system. According to an Aug. 26 notice to industry, the Space and Missile Systems Center MILSATCOM Program...

Counter-Terror Official Warns of Growing ISIS Threat

The ISIS terrorist organization “poises a direct and significant threat” to Americans, primarily in Iraq, “but potentially to us here at home,” the director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center said Wednesday. The immediate threat is to the US Embassy in...

Air Force Loadmasters Add Candy to Humanitarian Air Drops in Iraq

Air Force loadmasters have been adding a sweet touch to the humanitarian airdrop bundles they prepare to help Iraqi families isolated by ISIS extremists in northern Iraq. In actions reminiscent of retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, the “Candy Bomber” who dropped...