Czech That Viper
The pilots of the Czech Air Force are coming out of NATO’s Air Meet 2005 with big grins on their faces. Why? Because the pilots and their L159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft “shot down” in simulated air combat US F-16...
Hauling Down the Flag on a Famous Missile
Hauling Down the Flag on a Famous Missile: The Air Force on Monday inactivated the last serving Peacekeeper ICBM. The move officially ended the era of the mammoth weapon—the nation’s most accurate and powerful ICBM. Once, 50 of the 10-warhead...
Is Guam Becoming the Air Force’s Pacific Pivot?
A dozen or so B-52s and 650 personnel from Barksdale AFB, La., passed through Andersen AFB, Guam, last week as part of the Air & Space Expeditionary Force 7 and 8 deployment. It was just another sign that Guam is...
Getting It There Is Only Half the Battle
Getting It There Is Only Half the Battle: At the Bright Star exercise in Egypt, US Transportation Command rolled out a new task force capability that they say should improve the initial flow of forces and cargo within a theater...
NRO Targets Boeing’s Troubled Sat Program
News reports point to problems for Boeing over its development of the next generation spy satellite. The National Reconnaissance Office may greatly reduce Boeing’s work on the multi-billion dollar Future Imagery Architecture satellite program, transferring work to Lockheed Martin, according...
China Extends Reach
The Chinese have not only mastered the art of aerial refueling (DR, 9/19/05), they are now buying eight Russian Il-78M tankers, as well as 30 IL-76 heavy transport aircraft. With the Il-78, Chinese fighters can reach Andersen AFB, Guam, according...
Fogelsong Checks on NATO Training at Sheppard
Getting a first hand look at the efforts going into the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program, USAFE Commander Gen. Robert H. “Doc” Foglesong paid a visit to Sheppard AFB, Tex., last week to meet international students and instructors. “I...
Commitments Fuel Base Construction
Four years after the US deployed to Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, the United States is undertaking a nearly $100 million expansion and improvement project at Bagram Air Base—to replace the runway designed for Russian fighters and worn out by...
Will Washington and Moscow Form Strategic Partnership?
President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Friday to work out differences and forge a closer relationship in the War on Terror. Speaking to reporters at a White House news conference, the duo talked about closer cooperation...
Imagine How You Will Like Them When They Have Nuclear Weapons
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, recently elected president of Iran, put on a show at the United Nations over the weekend—telling the UN General Assembly that his country would not relinquish its right to a “peaceful” nuclear program. The Iranian head of state...
Millions Saved in Mass Computer Buy
According to Air Force Materiel Command, the Air Force Information Technology Commodity Council saved the Air Force approximately $5.8 million in its latest quarterly purchase of desktop and laptop computer and monitor configurations. The process, which enables a consolidated buy...
USAF Receives First Production CV-22
The team of Boeing-Bell said Monday it had delivered the Air Force’s first production CV-22 Osprey. Air Force Special Operations Command will use the CV-22 for long-range special operations, contingency operations, and evacuations, as well as search and rescue operations....
Innovation Fuels ICBM Savings
The team of Northrop Grumman and Boeing made a key change to the ICBM guidance replacement program that should save the Air Force $32.9 million over five years, according to a Northrop news release. The change will also shave two...
Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism
September 16-18, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 28 25 – 53 CAS/Armed Recon 139 86 – 225 Airlift – – 500 500 Air refueling – – 109 109 Total 167 111 609 887 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...