DOD Identifies Airman Who Died in Syria

The Pentagon on Thursday identified the airman who died in Syria earlier this week as SSgt. Austin Bieren. Bieren, 25, of Umatilla, Ore., died March 28 in northern Syria of reported natural causes. He was assigned to the 21st Space...

TRANSCOM Boss Calls for KC-46 Acceleration

By Wilson Brissett
Accelerating the KC-46A tanker program is a top priority for US Transportation Command, said commander Gen. Darren McDew on Thursday. The overall Air Force requirement for tankers is 479, and the service currently plans to procure 179 KC-46As by 2027....

A New National Space Council Has Promise, Risk

By Wilson Brissett
A reconstituted National Space Council can help keep space at the center of national planning, but it must watch out for bureaucratic inefficiencies, military and industry leaders agreed at an AFA Mitchell Institute event in Washington D.C., Thursday. Such a...

Sweet Home if Leonardo Wins T-X

By John A. Tirpak
If the Leonardo T-100 wins the Air Force’s T-X advanced trainer contract, the jet would be assembled at Moton Field, Ala., coincidentally where the Tuskegee Airmen trained in World War II, Alabama governor Robert Bentley announced Thursday. He said the...

USAF Surgeons Conduct First Robotic Surgery

Air Force surgeons this week performed the service’s first robotic surgery, using a robot to successfully conduct a ventral hernia repair. The 81st Surgical Operations Squadron at Keesler AFB, Miss., used a da Vinci Xi robot to improve the mobility...

Correction

An entry in the March 29 and 30 Daily Report incorrectly stated the F-22A aircraft availability in relation to other Air Force platforms. The F-22A aircraft availability for the fourth quarter of 2016 was third lowest among 17 aircraft included...