The Office of the Secretary of Defense is essentially saying “too bad” to Northrop Grumman over the company's announcement that it won’t submit a bid against Boeing to supply USAF's KC-X tanker unless notable changes are made to the aircraft's draft solicitation. As we reported yesterday, Northrop President Wes Bush conveyed this position to Pentagon acquisition executive Ashton Carter in a Dec. 1 letter. Cheryl Irwin, Carter's spokeswoman, said Wednesday in a statement that OSD “regrets" Northrop's move and hopes that its industry team "will return" to the contest when the final request for proposals is issued (see below). She said the Pentagon “cannot and will not change" the tanker's requirements "to give advantage to either competitor.” OSD, she noted, has “played this right down the middle and will continue to do so.” While OSD wants competition, it "cannot compel" a prospective offeror to compete, she said.

Chalk up the first delay in the new and improved KC-X tanker competition. A final request for proposals—taking into account input from the competitors and members of Congress—was to have been issued in December, but its anticipated release date is...

The Air Force is examining how best to support the intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance needs of the bolstered US presence in Afghanistan next year as unveiled by President Obama on Tuesday, Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF’s point man for ISR issues, said Wednesday....

Asked where he’d like to see his next investment dollar go, Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the Air Staff’s intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance lead, said Wednesday he’d put it towards a long-range, multi-role strike platform. “We cannot move into a future without a platform...

An Obama staffer apparently decided the President shouldn’t be photographed with the F-22 Raptor—the fighter the Administration succeeded in killing at just 187 aircraft—during his stopover at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska in mid November and ordered the base to remove it...

The Air Force’s new fleet of MC-12W intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance aircraft recently flew its 1,000 combat mission in support of operations in Iraq. Currently, the Air Force operates six MC-12s out of Joint Base Balad, Iraq, as part of the 362nd Expeditionary...

Approaching inclement weather on the Atlantic coast of Florida on Wednesday pushed back the scheduled launch of WGS-3, the Air Force’s third Wideband Global Satellite Communications spacecraft, by 24 hours, according to Air Force Space Command. The new launch window...

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on Tuesday honored retired Maj. Gen. Johnny Alison, World War II fighter ace, Air Force special operations pioneer, and longtime airpower advocate, who turned 97 on Nov. 21. Alison, said Skelton during a House floor speech, is "a distinguished American, a dedicated public servant, and a true American hero" who "has spent his life fighting for our country." Skelton continued: "Never wavering in his commitment to freedom and the ideals of our country, he sets a high standard for all Americans. I am proud to call him my friend, and I trust that my fellow members of the House will join me in recognizing this courageous and talented American." (For more on Alison, one-time Air Force Association Chairman of the Board, read The All-American Airman and The Air Invasion of Burma from Air Force Magazine.)

Retired Gen. Paul K. Carlton, who commanded Military Airlift Command, predecessor of today’s Air Mobility Command, from September 1972 to March 1977, died Nov. 23 in San Antonio at age 88, the Air Force announced Wednesday. “His accomplishments as a...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Nov. 28, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 31 28 59 15,716 CAS/Armed Recon 26 65 91 32,308 Airlift 150 150 44,909 Air refueling 37 37 15,855 Total 337 108,788 OIF=Operation Iraqi...