Letters

June 1, 2014

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Oct. 26, 2020
The Air Force is calling on small businesses to pitch new technologies the service can help nurture into "war-winning" capabilities, service acquisition chief Will Roper said Oct. 26. These "Skyshots"--something short of "Moon Shots" --would be comparable to USAF's flying car initiative: requiring sustained investment that companies might not be…

Bug-Spraying C-130s Deploy to Louisiana

Oct. 26, 2020
The Air Force activated the military’s only large, fixed-wing pest control aircraft to help areas recovering from hurricanes and heavy rains. The C-130s from the 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, deployed to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Oct. 20 for several days in support of…

Enlisted Leaders Defend Abrupt Tuition Assistance Cuts

Oct. 26, 2020
Top enlisted leaders defended the Air Force's decision to reduce tuition assistance by $750, saying it was the best option available as the manpower directorate scrambled to find money over the summer or risk canceling classes. In late September, the Air Force announced it was only going to pay $3,750…

Hill F-35s, Airmen Return from Middle East Deployment

Oct. 26, 2020
F-35As and Airmen from the 421st Fighter Squadron returned home to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, within the past week after a six-month deployment for combat operations in the Middle East. The 421st was the third Hill squadron in a row to be tasked with deploying to U.S. Central Command,…

Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Hub is Helping NORAD Monitor US Airspace

Oct. 23, 2020
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…

USAF Pushes Safer F-16 Training After Contractor’s Death

Oct. 23, 2020
The Air Force revamped its F-16 Basic Course following a 2017 incident where an inexperienced student pilot strafed the wrong target and killed a military contractor. Now, students must fly their first nighttime close air support sortie with an instructor pilot in the rear seat of a two-person F-16D. If…

Inside NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing Mission

Oct. 23, 2020
Aviano Air Base's 555th Fighter Squadron this week concluded a nearly monthlong stint supporting NATO's enhanced Air Policing mission in Bulgaria, during which Russian military aircraft didn't cross into the European nation's sovereign airspace, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa told Air Force Magazine on Oct. 23. “As we…

Dyess Airmen, B-1s in Guam for Bomber Task Force Deployment

Oct. 23, 2020
About 200 Airmen and four B-1s from Dyess Air Force Base's 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron began a Bomber Task Force deployment to Guam this week to back up multilateral training being hosted by Pacific Air Forces, according to a PACAF release. The Texas-based troops and aircraft arrived at Andersen Air…

Virtual Events: Wilsbach on Mitchell’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More

Oct. 22, 2020
On Oct. 27, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute will host an installment of its “Aerospace Nation” series featuring Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.