An Aircraft Investment Plan through 2040 reportedly submitted to Congress along with the Fiscal 2011 budget is not meant to be a definitive schedule, according to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. In an interview with the Daily Report Wednesday, Schwartz explained: "I think it is a plan for the department. It is not a contract. But I think it gives the Hill a sense of what the general themes are." Schwartz specifically corrected one aspect of the plan, which asserts that an F-22 air superiority replacement would be required around 2025, versus a new bomber that Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday will be along in "the late 2020s." Schwartz said, "I think the Long Range Strike platform will certainly precede an F-22 replacement, in my view." (Aircraft Investment Plan)

Look for major work to start on the new Long Range Strike platform in 2013, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said Wednesday in an interview. However, he added: “That’s not a signed, sealed, and delivered arrangement.” He said the...

The Air Force is planning to spend about $11.4 billion in Fiscal 2011 on space-related activities, Gary Payton, USAF’s deputy under secretary for space programs, said during a meeting with reporters Thursday in Washington, D.C. Of this total, about $8...

The Air Force will be working closely with the warfighter over the next several years to hammer out which technologies developed for the now-defunct Transformational Satellite Communcations System will be inserted into designs of its WGS and AEHF communication satellites,...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday reiterated the Pentagon leadership’s message that it would prefer to have both Boeing and Northrop Grumman remain in the KC-X tanker contest, but would press on if only one company decides to submit a...

Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said his biggest challenge for the balance of his tenure will be managing all the new missions the service must take on with a fixed number of people. Remotely Piloted Aircraft are a key...

Still Nyet to More F-22s: Despite the current woes of the F-35 strike fighter program, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he remains opposed to the idea of building more F-22s, even as a hedge. “I don’t think there’s any need...

The Air Force has earmarked slightly more than $12 billion from Fiscal 2011 to Fiscal 2015 for the KC-X tanker, its top acquisition priority, according to service budget officials and documents. This total includes development and test activities, procurement of...

Late this year, the Air Force intends to place “CHIRP,” a staring wide-field-of-view infrared sensor, in orbit to conduct an evaluation of technology that may be used on future space based infrared system satellites, says Gary Payton, USAF’s deputy undersecretary...

The Air Force would like to buy a total of 13,802 bombs and missiles in Fiscal 2011. This includes 7,540 munitions in its baseline budget and another 6,262 pieces in its overseas contingency operations (OCO) request. The combined total includes...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Feb. 1-2, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 29 67 96 1,853 CAS/Armed Recon 46 159 205 2,958 Airlift 330 330 5,238 Air refueling 89 89 1,386 Total 720 11,435 OIF=Operation Iraqi...