Daily Report

The B-2 bombers of the 509th Bomb Wing are flying again, after a two-month “safety pause,” Air Combat Command officials said April 16. Flying resumed at noon April 15 at Whiteman AFB, Mo., home of the B-2 fleet, they said....

The Air Force has taken delivery of the first laser-guidance kits for 500-pound GBU-38 joint direct attack munitions from Boeing, the company announced April 16. The new capability, which is expected to be operational both with the Air Force and...

There have been no “formal” talks between Seoul and Washington about removing one US F-16 fighter squadron from the Korean peninsula later this year, Stars and Stripes reported April 16. The newspaper was following up on a report from the...

Four lawmakers wrote the Air Force’s leadership April 10 concerned over the impact that budget shortfalls and what they deem as risky fighter modernization strategies will have on the air sovereignty alert mission and on the readiness and capability of Air National Guard units. “Despite sustained and new threats both asymmetric and strategic, dedication of Air Force funding for this critical mission has not kept pace with evolving requirements since Fiscal 2004,” write Sen. Christopher Bond (R-Mo.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) in their missive to Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Chief of Staff. Accordingly, the four lawmakers call on Wynne and Moseley to articulate for them how they will “improve and sustain the ASA mission.” Further, they ask what consideration has been given to a “Plan B” to backfill aging ASA wings with upgraded fourth-generation fighters since there might not be enough new fifth-generation fighters to go around under the current plans. [Bond, in whose state Boeing builds the F-15, has already brought up the Plan B idea.] They also want to know what consideration is being given to including all of the costs associated with the Guard’s ASA activities in the annual Air Force budget. Finally, they seek input on what contingency plans there are to protect US airspace in case more F-15s and F-16s are grounded before replacements are fielded. Bond and Leahy lead the Senate National Guard Caucus.

Air Force officials are investigating why the pilot of an F-16 fighter from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, mistakenly shot up a vehicle during a close air support training exercise April 8 at the Utah Test and...

The Air Force’s vision for fostering a synthetic fuel market domestically to help wean the United States off of its dependence on foreign energy sources includes a change of mindset in one’s approach to producing energy, William C. Anderson, assistant...

The 12th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., conducted an annual ritual April 15 by simulating the electronic launch of a Minuteman III ICBM to verify that the weapon system would operate as intended if the President actually gave the...

First there was Pearl Cream, the oyster-derived cosmetic that forever changed women’s complexions. Now, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research says scientists whom it is sponsoring have unlocked more secrets of the oyster to develop lightweight and durable pearl-like...

Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest AsiaApril 14, 2008 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 25 9 34 2,826 CAS/Armed Recon 75 41 116 8,602 Airlift 148 148 12,771 Air refueling 47 47 3,927 Total 345 28,126...