Daily Report

Sept. 28, 2016

GBSD: The Biggest Operational Test Program Ever?

Kirtland AFB, N.M. The test and evaluation process for the Air Force’s next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile could be the biggest ever, even larger and more expensive than the F-35, an official here said. The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent is deemed...

Depots for ICBMs

Kirtland AFB, N.M. The Air Force is using an aircraft’s long-term maintenance schedule to ensure the health of its Minuteman III fleet, using empty silos under New START as depots for the ICBMs. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center here...

Carter Presses Case for LRSO

Kirtland AFB, N.M. Much like the rest of the military’s nuclear arsenal, the Defense Department must move ahead on the Long-Range Standoff Weapon to ensure a credible deterrent and the ability to penetrate a denied area, Defense Secretary Ash Carter...

Government Shutdown Looms

The Senate failed to muster enough support to end debate and vote on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government Tuesday, raising the possibility of a government shutdown by the end of this week. Only 45 of the necessary...

SpaceX’s Monster Mars Rocket

SpaceX rocket entrepreneur Elon Musk announced Tuesday he is developing a giant new launch vehicle intended to provide routine trips to Mars. The vehicle, which would have four times the thrust of the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to...

QF-16 Reaches IOC

Air Combat Command boss Gen. Hawk Carlisle approved the QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target for initial operational capability on Sept. 23, according to a release. The QF-16, which replaces the QF-4, is the first fourth generation unmanned target aircraft. The last...

Investigation Finds SBIRS Launch Delay

Investigators have identified a hardware problem that has been delaying the launch of the third Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous satellite. The problem is not with the SBIRS early missile warning satellite, but with other systems that use a...

New Contracts for F-15, B-2 Work

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, awarded Boeing a $27.5 million modification contract to provide support repairs and spare radars for the F-15 Radar Modernization Program, the Pentagon announced Monday. The program is providing upgraded...

Ohio ANG Medics Train in Serbia

Serbia may seem an unlikely pathway to Angola, but for 25 medics from the Ohio Army and Air National Guard, it was exactly that. From Sept. 4-17, the Guardsmen participated in a combined medical engagement (CME) in Serbia that also...