Daily Report

Aug. 20, 2015

Starter-Generator Failure Caused Reaper Crash

A starter-generator failure caused the crash of an MQ-9A Reaper in February in the US Africa Command area of operations, according to an abbreviated aircraft accident investigation board report released Aug. 19. The remotely piloted aircraft belonged to the 432nd...

Vandenberg Test Launches Minuteman III

Officials launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early in the morning on Aug. 19. The test launch at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., came exactly 45 years after the Air Force put the first Minuteman III missiles on alert, according...

RPAs and the Hunt for ISIS

The 432nd Wing at Creech AFB, Nev., has played a critical role in the air campaign against ISIS forces, according to a recent operations update. Several wing officials, speaking on background about the role the unit’s remotely piloted aircraft have...

Fresno Eagles Press for FOC

The California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno is on track to reach full operational capability with the F-15C early next year, unit spokesman SMSgt. Chris Drudge told Air Force Magazine on Aug. 19. The unit declared initial...

Spartan’s Desert Sojourn

Technicians recently refurbished and delivered a third former Air National Guard C-27J Spartan to the Coast Guard from the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., officials announced. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan initially stored a total of...

Human-Machine Teaming

The Air Force last week awarded a $42.5 million contract to continue to research and integrate ways to streamline the interaction between operator and computer on processing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data. The service awarded the contract to Wright State Applied Research Corp. in Beavercreek, Ohio, for "human-machine teaming," with the work to occur in a joint contractor-Air Force office at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract will be complete by February 2022. The contractors and Air Force officials visit bases that handle ISR data and focus on ways to streamline how analysts process the i?nformation. For example, the group has developed a voice-to-text method for passing along information from real-time video, as opposed to having a dedicated data processor, to more quickly share information, Wright Patterson officials told Air Force Magazine.

Second Missile Defense Aerostat Defending Capital Region

NORAD launched the second of two aerostat sensor platforms this week to enhance the detection of potential cruise missile threats to the National Capital Region, officials announced. The second Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense System (JLENS) aerostat was launched...

Water Survival Training Moves to Fairchild

The Air Force’s main base for survival, evasion, resistance, and escape training has added another course. The 66th Training Squadron’s Det. 2 at NAS Pensacola, Fla., has relocated to Fairchild AFB, Wash., according to an Air Force Education and Training...

US Approves Bahrain F-16 Fleet Support Package

The State Department signed off on a $150 million follow-on support and logistics contract for the Bahraini air force’s fleet of F-16s, citing the need to maintain the fleet’s readiness in the midst of increased operations tempo in support of...

Afghan Warriors Take to Sky

The Afghan Air Force has put its new MD-530 Warrior helicopters to work in combat in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, according to a 438th Expeditionary Wing release. The close air attack helicopters are designed for high altitude and hot weather operations....