A Delta IV rocket launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on Tuesday, successfully boosting a National Reconnaissance Office satellite into orbit. Boeing officials say that the launch of the company’s Delta IV marks the first West Coast mission completed for the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. It was also the first time the NRO has used the new Delta IV EELV. The next Delta IV launch from Vandenberg is planned for late 2006.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.