Beyond the 183
If the Air Force succeeds in stabilizing the cost and production of the F-22 over the next few years, it could end up buying more than 183 of the top-line fighters. The Air Force Chief of Staff told defense reporters...
The Unimaginable?
Last fall, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England hired a private firm—Whitney, Bradley, and Brown—to look at ways to “optimize” (read, “cut”) the fighter fleets of the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. That report is due in August. Speaking with...
Willow Grove Reprieve, “Insufficient”
The Air Force and the National Guard Bureau have decided that the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 111th Fighter Wing at NAS JRB Willow Grove should keep its A-10s through 2010—that’s a one-year extension on the date set by BRAC 2005...
Now, USAF Is Asking
When Air Force leaders announced late last year that they planned to make massive personnel cuts over the next few years, they included cuts to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command in their calculations. On Tuesday, Air Force...
Is There Flying Ahead for Malmstrom?
It is too soon to break out the bubbly, but the Air Force has indeed dispatched some officials—an earlier report had them at the base last month—to scope out whether the service should reopen the runway at Malmstrom AFB, Mont....
Back to the Watches
When US ground troops pull out of Iraq, the US Air Force probably would remain—for many years to come—confirmed the USAF Chief of Staff. Speaking with defense reporters Tuesday, Gen. Michael Moseley said, “I believe the air component will be...
The Smaller Range Plan
The Air Force has decided to trim the size of the fighter training range it had proposed for eastern Nevada airspace, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It is to be used primarily by F-16s flying out of Hill AFB, Utah....
The War From a Cargo Bay
USAF C-130 crews flying tactical airlift missions in Iraq routinely fly nine sorties in a day, often making multiple trips in and out of the same fields. According to one crew of six flying out of Balad AB, Iraq, their...
How Much Is that Doggie in the Window?:
Lawmakers want to know why the Air Force pays more for its initial flying screening service than the Navy. Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) complained that a USAF contract for service in his district was “extremely more expensive,” and posited that...
Air Force Gets Sixth Global Hawk
Northrop Grumman has delivered the sixth RQ-4A Global Hawk production model to the Air Force. The seventh Global Hawk is scheduled for delivery this summer, and development team members say they are working on completing the final assembly and prepping...
Taking B-1Bs Down Under
Taking B-1Bs Down Under: Three Air Force B-1B bombers deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, recently flew more than 7,000 miles and 16 hours to participate in Australia’s Aces South exercise with the Royal Australian Air Force. The B-1Bs of the...
Rapid, Safe Troop Hauling in Theater
The Air Force has chosen Northrop Grumman to research whether its feasible to build a mobility aircraft that can fly at high subsonic speeds but switch to low speeds for takeoff and landings—and land on an austere field. The tall...
Airman Wins DOD Mod & Sim Award:
The Defense Department selected Air Force Maj. Kelly Greene, with the Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation, as the top winner in the Test and Evaluation category for Modeling and Simulation Awards. Greene “innovated and transformed” T&E within the...
Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism
April 11, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 10 9 19 CAS/Armed Recon 52 24 76 Airlift 170 170 Air refueling 29 29 Total 62 33 199 294 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance