March 20, 2017 - Air Force Magazine

Northrop Maintenance Error Causes $7.35 Million in Damage to E-8

By Brian W. Everstine and Amy McCullough

Contract maintainers left drain holes covered during depot maintenance of an E-8C JSTARS between March 2015 to July 2016, which let water accumulate and cause about $7.35 million in damage to the aircraft, according to an Air Force Materiel Command...

North Korea Condemns B-1B Sortie as Tillerson Escalates Rhetoric

By Wilson Brissett

North Korea on March 16 claimed the US deployed a B-1B bomber from Andersen AFB, Guam, to rehearse “pre-emptive strikes against our major facilities,” UPI reported. The claim was made through state-controlled media and accused the US of “deepening the...

GBSD Price: Once We Know, We’ll Know

By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force and the rest of the Defense Department have not yet resolved their differences on what the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program should cost, Air Force uniformed acquisition chief Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch said at an AFA-sponsored, Air...

Mechanical Failure Caused October 2015 Predator Crash

By Brian W. Everstine

A mechanical failure ultimately brought down an MQ-1B Predator during an Oct. 19, 2015, mission in the Middle East, the Air Force announced Friday. The Predator was flying a mission targeting ISIS as part of Operation Inherent Resolve when it...

It’s A Three-Person Job

By John A. Tirpak

Air Force acquisition requires a “three-person leadership team,” said Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Speaking at an AFA-sponsored Air Force breakfast on March 16, Bunch...

WGS-9 Launches from Cape Canaveral

By Wilson Brissett

The 45th Space Wing successfully launched the ninth satellite in the Wideband Global SATCOM constellation Saturday evening from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket carried the satellite. “The WGS-9 launch marks a significant occasion for...

Air Force Academy Stands Up CyberWorx

By Wilson Brissett

A new USAF cyber initiative, based at the Air Force Academy reached initial operational capability last month. CyberWorx is a public-private partnership that uses principles of Design Thinking methodology to solve operational problems in the cyber realm. Design Thinking “uses...

Pentagon Says US Hit Al Qaeda Leaders in Syria, Not Civilians

By Brian W. Everstine

The Pentagon on Friday pushed back on reports that dozens of civilians were killed in a March 16 airstrike in Syria, releasing a photo it says shows a mosque is still standing despite reports it was destroyed by US bombs....