What It’s Like to Fly a KC-46 Around the World in 45 Hours

July 2, 2024 | By David Roza

A KC-46 touched down at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on July 1 after a record 45-hour nonstop flight around the world. The mission, called Project Magellan, saw the two crews aboard test their limits as they refueled Air Force jets around the planet.

“Air refueling is a very specific process: you have to be at a point at a certain time,” Col. Brent Toth, aircraft commander and head of the 22nd Operations Group at McConnell, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “And we did that four times all around the world without missing a beat.”

Project Magellan is the latest maximum endurance operation, the term for long-haul missions meant to test Airmen as transport and tanker crews under Air Mobility Command prepare to carry the rest of the military’s troops and equipment across the vast distances of the Pacific in a possible conflict with China.

“In an era of great power competition, crews need the ability to operate longer than they have in the past, and Project Magellan is the next step in getting AMC crews experience in the game-changing new construct that is MEO,” Capt. Cody Donahue, 22nd Operations Group executive officer, who took part in the flight and played a key role planning it, said in a press release.

A U.S. Air Force KC-46 Pegasus from McConnell Air Force Base’s 22nd Air Refueling Wing, departs after flying in formation with a KC-135 Stratotanker from McConnell Air Force Base’s 350th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, July 1, 2024. U.S. Air Force photo

The idea for Project Magellan first came to tanker crews at McConnell about two years ago, but the team had to work fast over the past month once the coordination with units around the world finally took shape.

“Once that came together, we had to move out very quickly,” Toth said. “The sprint for the last 30 days has been pretty hard, but we had a fantastic planning team.”

At the end of the sprint was the mission itself, which broke new ground for the KC-46. In 2019, a McConnell crew first flew a Pegasus around the world, but that trip included six stops and overnight stays. Project Magellan marked the first time the new tanker flew around the globe nonstop.

Besides the length of the flight, the MEO also stood out for carrying just two basic crews. Normally, three Air Force pilots can fly as an augmented crew for up to 24 hours, but Air Mobility Command now wants crews of four pilots to fly up to 48 hours to prepare for future conflicts, Donahue explained.

When the KC-46 took off from McConnell at about 4 p.m. on June 29, it carried just four pilots, two refueling boom operators, two flying crew chiefs to oversee the health of the airplane, and a flight surgeon to oversee the health of the crew.

The next 45 hours saw Magellan take gas from another KC-46 off the coast of California; give gas to a C-17 transport jet training near Hawaii; and take on more gas from two other McConnell-based KC-46s as they approached Guam.

A 22nd Air Refueling Wing pilot flies a KC-46A Pegasus from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, that is participating in a Maximum Endurance Flight around the globe called Project Magellan June 29, 2024. (Courtesy Photo)

Over the Middle East, the thirsty Pegasus received more fuel from a pair of KC-135 tankers flying out of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, where one crew was from McConnell and the other was from the Utah Air National Guard. The Magellan crew went on to refuel two F-15E Strike Eagles flying a combat sortie over Iraq, then meet two KC-135s for more gas over England: one from McConnell and one from RAF Mildenhall. The McConnell tankers had been prepositioned around the world to support the MEO.

The KC-46 enjoyed a hero’s welcome back over the continental U.S., where the jet met up with another McConnell-based KC-46 and the two refueled three B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., then offloaded fuel onto another McConnell Pegasus with Brig. Gen. Gerald Donohue, AMC’s director of operations for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration onboard as an observer.

When they finally landed back at McConnell at around 1 p.m. on July 1, Magellan had taken on 454,000 pounds of gas—about the weight of two blue whales—over the course of four refuelings from seven different tankers, and contributed to a combat sortie and a training exercise.

“This wasn’t just taking off and landing someplace,” Toth said. “We did complex missions in each part of the world.”

A view outside a KC-46A Pegasus from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, participating in a Maximum Endurance Flight around the globe, June 30, 2024. Courtesy Photo

Part of what enabled such a long string of midair meetings was a suite of systems allowing beyond line of sight communications between the Magellan crew, planning teams at McConnell, and crews around the world. Tactical data networks such as Link 16 allowed them to track and communicate with receiving aircraft hundreds of miles away to find out what direction they were traveling, how much fuel they needed, and other factors which normally would not be communicable until the aircraft were much closer within radio contact.

“We knew more about what was happening on this flight than I’ve known on most of the flights that I’ve been part of throughout my career,” Toth said. “So even though it was more complex than anything I’ve ever done, I felt like I was more notified than I’ve ever been before.”

While Link 16 is already widely available in other parts of the Air Force such as Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command is still getting up to speed in terms of connectivity. Last year, AMC boss Gen. Mike Minihan set a goal to connect 25 percent of the tanker and transport fleet with beyond line of sight communications by 2025.

The relatively new KC-46 has more modern communication equipment compared to its older siblings in the mobility fleet such as the KC-135 and the C-130, but flying between four combatant commands and quickly syncing with each one on the same flight is an achievement in its own right, Toth and Donahue explained.

“We always talk about air refueling being a sort of force multiplier, well, same thing with this tactical data link,” Donahue said. “Now you are talking about two force multipliers on one platform, so you’re exponentially multiplying your force.”

Two 22nd Air Refueling Wing pilots fly a KC-46A Pegasus from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, that is participating in a Maximum Endurance Flight around the globe called Project Magellan June 30, 2024 Courtesy photo

Besides solid communications, Magellan also benefited from years of research in human performance. Flying an aircraft is a tiring task, and Air Mobility Command wants to use the latest science in sleep and nutrition to keep crews as well-rested as possible on long sorties.

At first, the two Magellan crews took 10-hour shifts, but over time those shrank to between six and seven hours. When not at work, crews slept on bunks in a rest area that was kept dark throughout the flight. Other Airmen have said the KC-46 is a more comfortable experience than past refueling tankers.

“I was able to get five or six hours of sleep multiple times with a sleep mask and noise-canceling headphones or earplugs,” Donahue said. “It’s really not too bad and it allowed us to just keep this sustained operation with only four pilots flying 45 hours.”

To prepare for the flight, the first crew tried to go to bed at around 4 a.m. and sleep until noon about three days prior to takeoff, while the second crew went to bed at four in the afternoon and woke up at midnight.

“It was pretty amazing how quickly we were able to adjust to that new timeline,” Donahue said.

A McConnell Airman marshals a KC-46A Pegasus at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, July 1, 2024 after the KC-46 circumnavigated the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Paula Arce)

It also helped that one crew member made cookies using the galley onboard, and another, instructor pilot Capt. Daison Batangan, brought a birthday cake to celebrate turning 31 years old midflight. By the time they were back over the U.S., the crew were feeling the effects of a very long day, but they still safely accomplished what Toth described as one of the most complex operations he’s seen near McConnell in a long time.

“Meeting up with another tanker for a midmission join-up and then doing formation aerial refueling against three B-2s, it was pretty fantastic,” he said.

“I’d fly 45 hours just to refuel B-2s any day of the week,” Donahue added.

When they landed back at McConnell, the crew had experienced just one sunrise and one sunset on their long westbound flight, “so even though it’s been 45 hours, we’ve really experienced only one solar day,” Toth said. “So that is a bit of a mind trip.”

Even more than a test, the colonel thinks Project Magellan demonstrated AMC’s ability to reach anywhere on Earth.

“Taking off from the [continental U.S.], refueling a C-17 over the Pacific and a combat sortie over Iraq, and coming back to support global strike aircraft showcases that we really can provide air refueling and support global reach anytime, anywhere,” he said.

The complete crew list included Col. Brent Toth, aircraft commander; Capt. Cody Donahue, instructor pilot; Capt. Daison Batangan, instructor pilot; Capt. T.J. Buckley, instructor plot; Master Sgt Jonathan Lauterbach instructor boom operator; Master Sgt Patrick Murray, instructor boom operator; Capt. Jacob Heyrend, flight surgeon; Staff Sgt Alejandro Melendez, flying crew chief; and Staff Sgt Dustin Shaffer, flying crew chief.

kc-46 — The Project Magellan crew pose in front of a KC-46A at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, July 1, 2024 after executing the world’s first nonstop, KC-46A Pegasus westbound circumnavigation endurance flight. **U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Paula Arce**

Space Force Re-Aligns ‘Commit’ Phase for All Its Operators

July 2, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Force is reforming the way it presents teams of Guardians to combatant commanders, announcing July 1 that it will synchronize the “commit” phase of the Space Force Generation Model.

Under SPAFORGEN, as the model is known, the Space Force cycles units through three phases: prepare, ready, and commit. Each defines a period of focus, so that units and the Guardians assigned to them get a break from day-to-day operations to train, regenerate readiness through high-end training and exercises, and then stand ready for full-time operational duty.

But over the nearly two years the model has been in place, the cycles have not been in sync from one unit to the next. Now that’s changing, with Space Operations Command taking a more consistent approach to rotating units in and out of phases all at once, regardless of mission area.

“Aligning the timing of these phases for all units across our command helps us ensure combat-credible force elements and warrior leaders across our formations are postured and ready for employment,” SpOC boss Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr. said in a statement.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said the shift is another way the Space Force is “solidifying how the Space Force presents forces is an important way we are “optimizing for great power competition.”

“Form must follow function,” Saltzman added. “Our force presentation must reflect that every mission we perform requires expertise in intelligence, cyberspace operations, space system operations, engineering, and sustainment.”

The move goes hand in hand with the Space Force decision announced earlier this year that “combat squadrons” would be the “units of action” the Space Force presents to combatant commanders. Space Force “combat detachments” are deployable units and will follow SPAFORGEN as well.

Brig. Gen. Devin Pepper, vice commander of Space Operations Command, has described an “eight-crew model” in which five crews from a unit are in the “commit” phase at any given time, while the other three are either in either the prepare or ready phases.

Unlike the Air Force Force Generation Model, which cycles through four six-month phases, the SPAFORGEN cycles are uneven, and spread over a five-month cycle time:

Commit lasts 105 days

Prepare runs 21 days

Ready lasts 42 days

Most Space Force operations are conducted at home station, which is why the cycles can be tighter. Leaders say the phases of SPAFORGEN are more about creating high-end readiness and a predictable rhythm for Guardians.

Saltzman has said the prior approach to being ready for anything all the time didn’t achieve the objective of heightened readiness for serious competition with the likes of China and Russia.

“Day-to-day space operations do not prepare Guardians for the challenges they will face in a high-intensity combat environment,” Saltzman wrote in a letter to Guardians in April. “Balancing operations with readiness requires a different approach than the ‘all-in, all-the-time’ construct we used before.”

The prepare phase will include “training, positional upgrades and professional military education,” as well as planned leave, SpOC noted in a release. The ready phase will include advanced training and exercises, as well as “validations” for squadrons to work on their advanced skills. The commit phase will include time on console, conducting everyday space operations.

This shift in focus makes SPAFORGEN “the most drastic change accompanying the establishment of the Space Force” yet, Saltzman said. But it will take time, he added, to work out the kinks and “resource and normalize” the process.

Former NSC Official Calls for ‘More Intensive Training’ with Taiwan

July 2, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea, a former deputy national security advisor from the Trump administration thinks the U.S. should ramp up its joint military exercises with Taiwan in order to counter growing threats from China.

“We should be doing much more serious, multilateral planning together with Taiwan, much more intensive training,” Matthew Pottinger said at a Heritage Foundation’s event July 2. “In part because of what Beijing is doing around the Second Thomas Shoal.”

China continues to ratchet up its military aggression towards the Philippines and other nations in the region. Just last month, a Filipino sailor was severely injured in what the Philippine military described as a “deliberate, high-speed ramming” by the Chinese Coast Guard during a resupply mission. Analysts have argued such moves could lead to open conflict and pose significant risks for the U.S. and its allies, and Pottinger argued this threat specifically endangers Taiwan.

“Beijing has made a mockery of international law and traditional laws of the sea,” said Pottinger. “There need to be military costs. It might mean that we are working together with the Philippines to put far more capability in the Philippines to threaten the Chinese navy in any contingency, not just against the Philippines but also against its neighbors like Taiwan.”

In the air, Pottinger argued there is room to grow the partnership between the Republic of China Air Force and the U.S. Air Force, especially given that this February, the USAF finished upgrading Taiwan’s 139 F-16s to the advanced F-16V (Viper) configuration, now rivaling or surpassing most U.S. F-16 capabilities. This $4.5 billion program, initiated back in 2016, enabled Taipei to commission its first operational wing of F-16Vs in 2021. The next step in boosting Taiwan’s air defenses is to deliver 66 new-build F-16s in a comparable configuration, expected within the next two to three years.

“They (Taiwan) got some of their F-16s, and they go head-to-head in training with the U.S. pilots,” said Pottinger. “It only makes sense that we would deepen quality of our planning and training with Taiwan, and that we would start to involve other partners as well, including Japan, but also Australia.”

The U.S. does engage in military visits and training with Taiwan to bolster its defense capabilities—but such efforts are carried out discreetly due to China’s objections to military interactions between the U.S. and Taiwan. Pottinger, however, insisted on scaling up these actions to the point where the U.S. sends a definitive message.

“We should not be seeking to merely manage our competition, but actually to try to win it with Beijing first,” argued Pottinger. “It’s a recognition of the fact that Beijing is not playing for a stalemate; Xi Jinping is playing to win. So, we define an end state that we believe would entail, first and foremost, persuading Xi and the party that he leads that they cannot win either a hot war or a cold war against the U.S. and its allies.”

In recent years, the Air Force has been expanding its training in the area with other regional allies, including the Philippines and Singapore via joint aerial exercises featuring long-range bombers and fighters. The U.S. is ramping up other joint exercises in the region too. This year saw the first joint exercise involving the U.S., Japan, Australia, and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Pottinger noted that while the China policy of the Trump era, continued under the Biden administration, was initially well-executed, but is now deemed “out of date,” in light of Beijing “leading proxy wars” against the U.S. in multiple theaters.

Picture of Matthew Pottinger (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)

Humvee Mishap at Malmstrom Leaves One Airman Dead, Five Injured

July 1, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Airman killed in a vehicle mishap at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., on June 29, has been identified as Staff Sgt. Jorge Delgado, a 37-year-old Airman assigned to the 341st Security Forces Squadron at Malmstrom, according to a July 1 release.

The accident resulted in three other Airmen being injured, as the four Airmen were traveling on-base to their duty location in an up-armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, better known as Humvee.

Two additional first responder Airmen sustained injuries while responding to the incident. After all five Airmen were taken to nearby medical facilities, two are now in stable condition, while three have been discharged, the release added.

“Team Malmstrom and our surrounding community grieve not only the loss of an outstanding Airman, but a family member and a friend,” said Col. Dan Voorhies, 341st Missile Wing commander, in the release. “As we help our impacted Airmen and families, I urge us all to spend a little extra time checking in on one another, wrap our arms around those in need, and provide love and support, so we can keep enduring. Wing One is committed to the safety and security of our members, and we will continue to stand strong during this time.”

The spokesperson stated that the accident is under investigation, and no additional details are currently available.

“The safety and well being of all of our Airmen is our priority and we are providing support and assistance to those impacted by this tragic event,” the base’s initial release following the accident on June 29 stated.

Malmstrom, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., and Minot Air Force Base, N.D., are the hubs for the Air Force’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.

With hundreds of nuclear silos, the three bases span vast areas, requiring extensive driving and often use of specialized military vehicles like Humvee, and the new JLTV, or Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, to maintain readiness and security. While it is currently unclear which vehicle was involved in the June 29 crash, last year saw two separate accidents involving Humvees, resulting in the loss of two Airmen’s lives across the nuclear missile fields.

Air Force 1st Lt. Lee Feldhausen, 341st Operations Support Squadron ICBM instructor combat crew commander, spots a driver as he parallel parks a Humvee during the 10th Missile Squadron Humvee Olympics on the Malmstrom Air Force Base flightline Nov. 8. More than 30 Airmen from the 10th MS participated in the event. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen)

On Sept 16, a Humvee crash killed an Airman from the 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron of F.E. Warren, while another Airman sustained minor injuries. The accident occurred near a nuclear missile field near Grover, Colo.

About a month later, another Humvee crash killed an Airman from the 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron at Malmstrom. The Airman was initially hospitalized and succumbed to his injuries six days after the accident. Another individual involved in the incident sustained injuries but was in stable condition afterward. According to a report from the Montana Highway Patrol provided to local media, the Humvee driver attempted a downhill right-hand curve “at an excessive rate of speed for the vehicle,” crossing into the opposite lane and veered off the road.

Unlike the outdated Humvee, the JLTVs are billed as more reliable, more mobile in rough terrain, and better protected, making them better for snow- or mud-covered conditions throughout Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. While the JLTV requires extensive training due to its complexity, the vehicle is also smarter, equipped with computers in the dashboard that help Airmen keep track of their fellow defenders and build situational awareness.

Boeing to Buy Spirit AeroSystems, Contractor on B-21 and KC-46

July 1, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Boeing has announced it will buy Spirit AeroSystems, one of its chief suppliers, for $4.7 billion, a move aimed at giving Boeing more cradle-to-grave control of quality, a huge issue for the commercial and military plane-maker in the past year.

The deal is expected to get quick approval from the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice.

The move comes amid industry speculation that former Boeing executive, Spirit CEO and former acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan could succeed David Calhoun as Boeing’s new CEO. Calhoun has already announced he will step down later this year, and Shanahan was known as “Mr. Fix-It” at Boeing during his tenure there, for getting troubled programs back on track. However, Shanahan headed Spirit when its current quality control problems erupted.

Spirit was Boeing’s Wichita Division until it was sold off to a holding company in 2005 and was structured as an independent entity. Spirit makes commercial airliner fuselages, fuselage sections, flight decks, wings, and wing components for both Boeing and its archrival Airbus, among other aerospace-related products for various users.

Part of the deal will also be a stock swap between Boeing and Spirit. The total value of the sale, including Spirit’s debt, is $8.3 billion. Spirit’s defense and space revenue came to about $800 million out of a total of $6.1 billion in revenue in 2023.

“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said in a press release.

Spirit is also a major supplier on some key Air Force programs; notably the Boeing KC-46 tanker and the Northrop Grumman B-21 bomber. For the KC-46, Spirit makes the forward fuselage, strut, and nacelle components, and the fixed leading edge. The Air Force has never disclosed what Spirit contributes to the largely classified B-21, although it is likely its work involves internal structures and some external skin sections. Spirit is one of only seven companies the Air Force has disclosed as B-21 subcontractors.

On its website, Spirit said it contributed to the design of the KC-46. The company also makes large portions of the P-8 patrol aircraft, on which the E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management aircraft is based. The E-7 and P-8 have large assemblies in common and will be built on the same production line, so Spirit is also likely to be a major supplier on the E-7 when production of that aircraft gears up for the Air Force.

In March, when quality issues at Boeing and Spirit were making headlines, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Air & Space Forces Magazine he was “not aware” of any quality issues at Spirit affecting any Air Force programs. A service spokesperson reiterated that comment two weeks later.

One element of the deal is an agreement with Airbus that the European airliner company will take over Spirit facilities that support Airbus programs after Boeing completes the acquisition of Spirit. Among those facilities are one in Kinston, N.C., where Spirit makes Airbus A350 fuselages; a plant in Northern Ireland that makes A220 wings; a plant in Casablanca, Morocco, that does A320 engine nacelles and A220 fuselage work and a French facility that assembles fuselage sections built in N.C.

Airbus is seeking to compete for the KC-135 Recapitalization Program under which the Air Force will buy 50-75 tankers. The buy will “bridge” between the end of the KC-46 contract and the start of the Next-Generation Air refueling System (NGAS) program, which seeks a new, smaller, and stealthier aerial tanker than USAF has previously operated.

Boeing said its decision to re-acquire Spirit was based on an effort to increase quality and safety at the Wichita-based company, which whistleblowers have charged covered up quality “escapes” that were then only partially caught at Boeing. The quality issues highlighted included mis-drilled holes, mis-aligned fuselage panels, and sloppy administration that either failed to catch and correct mistakes or deliberately under-reported or covered up such errors.

In the press statement accompanying the announcement, Calhoun said Boeing executives believe the deal is “in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our stakeholders, and the country more broadly.”

Boeing’s current difficulties came to national attention in early January when an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 suffered a door-sized panel blowout at 16,000 feet altitude. It was later determined that bolts that were supposed to hold the panel in place were removed for a check and then not re-installed. The incident did not result in any lives lost, but did prompt the Federal Aviation Administration to deploy inspectors and watchers to monitor quality at both Boeing and Spirit.

Since then, Boeing has been hit by a series of whistleblower accusations; a Federal Aviation Administration audit; the firing of the 737 program manager; complaints by the National Transportation Safety Board that Boeing is not cooperating with its investigations; loss of paperwork related to the door plug incident, and the death of a Spirit whistleblower.

Previous quality issues moved Spirit’s board to bring Shanahan in last October. Other names floated as a possible successor to Shanahan include Greg Smith, CEO of American Airlines, and a former Boeing Chief Financial Officer; and Larry Culp, CEO of GE Aerospace.

Why Deorbiting SpaceX Satellites Is a ‘Tremendous Opportunity’ for the Space Force

July 1, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

As SpaceX begins to decommission and “deorbit” 100 of its oldest Starlink satellites, the Space Force is gathering crucial data and real-world experience for Guardians.

Since May, Space Forces-Space, the Space Force unit that presents forces to U.S. Space Command, has publicised on social media the many satellites, rockets, bits of debris it’s tracking as they reenter the atmosphere. But while that work has gone on for years, the difference now is that SpaceX isn’t passively waiting for its spacecraft to decay or drop from space, but is actively pursuing their demise.

SpaceX announced in February it would initiate controlled descents for 100 of its older Starlink satellites over the span of several months, dropping them into lower orbits so the Earth’s gravity can finish the job, pulling them down into the atmosphere, where they burn up upon reentry.

The Space Force’s Delta 2 tracks spacecraft orbits and debris and issues warnings when there’s risk of collisions so satellite operators can maneuver to avoid them. But tracking de-orbiting satellites also gives space operators a chance to practice Space Domain Awareness with real-world events, said retired Air Force Col. Jennifer Reeves, a senior resident fellow for space studies at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“This is an amazing opportunity for the Space Force to work with SpaceX to understand when they think everything is going to be burning back in, based on the actions that SpaceX is going to be taking to deliberately deorbit these … and then we get the immediate feedback of what the sensors on the military side are actually seeing,” Reeves said. “That validates in a very specific way what our sensors are actually seeing, that they’re actually seeing these de-orbits, and what might be different from one event to another.”

The Space Surveillance Network—a collection of ground- and space-based sensors—will track the de-orbits, offering Guardians “reps and sets” to hone their skills. “We really are at the beginning of a lot of de-orbiting and understanding what that looks like in the sensor and the reporting network of the Space Force,” Reeves said.

The expansion of so-called “mega-constellations” in space, featuring thousands of small satellites in low-Earth orbit, will necessitate de-orbiting as the satellites age. There are more than 5,000 Starlink satellites alone, and other companies are fielding or developing similar-sized constellations, as is the Space Force’s Space Development Agenc, which is planning the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, which will consist of hundreds of satellites in LEO.

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a rule requiring commercial operators to de-orbit their satellites within five years after a satellite completes its assigned purpose—so ultimately, as many satellites as are launched into space will have to be de-orbited.

“The lessons learned out of what happens with a [proliferated] LEO constellation are going to be applicable to everybody, including the Space Force,” Reeves said.

Guardians will also be able to use deorbiting to hone missile-warning skills. That’s because, like the infrared signatures of missile launches, satellites reentering the atmosphere will also have their own haveinfrared signatures.

“As a person who’s done this for years and years as a youngster, how you actually see that on console tends to look different,” Reeves said. “However, there are instances where sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. So more examples of things coming back” is just an ideal opportunity to practice with real-world data, rather than simulations.

“Man, talk about getting to test out not just our equipment, but to test out the eyes of our young operators,” Reeves said, and “to make sure they know what to look for and what to see. And of course, they do, but more reps is always better.”

Air Force Stands Up New School For Future Warrant Officers

July 1, 2024 | By David Roza

The Air Force took a step closer to bringing new warrant officers into its ranks for the first time since 1958 by opening a school where Airmen will train for the role.

The Air Force Warrant Officer Training School was activated in a ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., on June 28. The school curriculum will focus on five warrant officer foundational principles: communicate, advise, influence, innovate, and integrate, according to a press release.

The Air Force and Space Force are the only military services currently without warrant officers, who fill technical rather than leadership functions in the other military branches. But today the Air Force sees the reintroduction of warrant officers as a way to maintain an edge in two fast-moving technical fields: information technology and cybersecurity.

“We are in the business of producing Airmen,” Maj. Nathaniel Roesler, the new WOTS commandant, said in the release. “These specialists come to us with technical expertise, and our mission is to develop them to be better warfighters, advisors, and integrators, ready to fly, fight, and win during Great Power Competition.”

In the enlisted and commissioned officer ranks, Airmen often have to take career breaks for leadership and development roles as they rise through the ranks. The warrant officer track offers a different path.

“With perishable skills, like cyber, like IT, where the technology is moving so rapidly, folks who are experts in that can’t afford to be sent off to a leadership course for eight or nine months,” Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, said April 9.

Time spent in mandatory leadership roles can also hurt retention; Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in February that about 100 Airmen joined other branches in recent years so that they could become warrant officers in IT and cyber.

The first eight-week WOTS class of about 30 candidates is scheduled to start this October and graduate in December, with a second class of about the same size scheduled to start in early 2025.

Competition for a warrant officer slot is proving to be fierce: when the Air Force opened applications for the program from April 25 to May 31, more than 350 Active-duty Airmen sent in packages, of whom about 50 were turned away due to incomplete applications, Air Force officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Active-Duty Air Force Warrant Officer Applicants by Age

20-25	26-29	30-34	35-39	40+
12	63	110	99	17

Active-Duty Air Force Warrant Officer Applicants by Gender

Male	Female
277	24

Active-Duty Air Force Warrant Officer Applicants by Rank

E5	E6	E7	E8
73	132	93	3

The 301 Active-duty applicants that met the board to become warrant officers came from a range of career fields including cyber defense and cyber warfare, intelligence analysis, cryptologic language analysis, aerospace ground equipment specialists, health services management, mental health services, special investigations, and military training instructors. Members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve could also apply, though data on those applicants was not immediately available.

Applicants had to be at the rank of staff sergeant and above, at the age of 42 or younger, and with a minimum five years’ time in service by July 24. Though applicants could come from any career field, they had to meet a range of qualifications in cybersecurity and information technology.

The selection board met from June 24-28, and selectees will be notified in late July. Upon graduating, the new warrant officers will be assigned to units supporting both the Air Force and joint force operational requirements, according to the press release. Future classes will be announced each year.

It is unclear at this point how many warrant officers the Air Force hopes to train, but planning documents obtained by Air & Space Forces Magazine in February show that the pipeline could scale up to 200 junior warrant officers and 50 senior warrant officers per year. Kendall said in March that he expects the program will eventually expand to other career fields, pending how successful it is in cyber and IT.

“The reintroduction of warrant officers to the Air Force is another example of the force adapting personnel policies to best compete in emerging security landscapes.” Brig. Gen. Houston R. Cantwell, commander of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Oﬃcer Accessions and Citizen Development, said in the press release.

“The warrant officer will serve on the virtual frontlines, allowing us to stay ahead of rapidly advancing threats while safeguarding national security interests in both the information technology and cyber career fields.”

US-Based Danish F-35s Going Home Because of Delivery Delays

July 1, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish defense ministry announced.

Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the move “makes it possible to increase the training level” of F-35 ground and flight crews. The aircraft will join four already in Denmark, at Skydstrup air base, for a total of 10. Poulsen also said Denmark has NATO obligations which must be met.

The Royal Danish Air Force aircraft have been based at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., which is the centralized training location for all international users of the F-35A. The ministry said it is making the change because it needs to keep on track with training for its F-35 fleet, especially since it has promised some of its retiring F-16s to Ukraine.

Poulsen said the jets will be replaced at Luke by new TR-3 models as soon as they become available.

“We have now found a solution so that the delays from the manufacturer affect us as little as possible,” Poulsen said. He did not specify a timeline for the move.

He added that it is “absolutely crucial that we follow the phase-in” of the F-35 closely because the system is “a major investment for Denmark which will affect our defense and security for many years to come.”

The action comes as the Joint Program Office gets ready to approve deliveries of F-35s—on hold since last summer—with a “truncated” version of the TR-3 hardware and software package. The JPO is expected to inform Congress in the coming weeks that the truncated package is deemed safe for training. Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt has been waiting for the test enterprise to certify that the package is stable and doesn’t require an excessive number of in-flight reboots.

Certifying the package will allow Lockheed Martin to resume deliveries of some 85 aircraft that have been parked in storage since last summer.

Once deliveries are underway, it could take as much as a year to get through the handover process for the jets, which amount to more than six months’ production. Lockheed has said it expects to deliver at least one per day once transfers resume, but the Government Accountability Office recently said it has never previously hit that pace.

Denmark has agreed to sell 24 of its 43 F-16A/B aircraft to Argentina, with the remainder going to Ukraine. The first aircraft have already been delivered to Argentina, and NATO officials have said Ukraine will get its first F-16s in the next few months, pending the completion of pilot and maintainer training, some of which is taking place in the U.S.

Denmark plans a force of 27 F-35s. The remaining 17 aircraft are to be delivered by 2027.

The hold on deliveries has affected all users of the F-35, and its duration—now in its 10th month—has disrupted the change-out of old equipment for new and the assignment of personnel in most user countries.

The TR-3 upgrade is the processor and software foundation for the Block 4 upgrade, a series of more than 80 improvements to electronic warfare, processor power, displays and weapons, to name just a few. Schmidt told Congress during budget hearings in the spring that the Block 4 will have to be “reimagined,” with some updates now not coming until the early 2030s.

The F-35 training enterprise at Luke generates aircraft from an international pool. Student pilots are given the next jet available, so F-35s are routinely flown by pilots whose countries don’t own the jets they’re flying. It isn’t yet clear how the absence of six Danish jets from the pool will affect the training enterprise.

Lockheed received a $1.56 billion F-35 contract from the Pentagon on June 27, but program officials said this had to do exclusively with sustainment efforts of fielded aircraft and did not include any progress payments having to do with development or aircraft deliveries.

The contract covered ground maintenance activities, depot support, the automatic logistic information system (ALIS) operations, reliability and maintainability activities, supply chain management and pilot training, among other items. Some $405 million of the award covers Air Force operations and $124 million covers Foreign Military Sales support to non-U.S. user nations.

Air Force General Sentenced In Historic Court-Martial

June 30, 2024 | By David Roza

A military judged sentenced an Air Force general on June 29 to a reprimand, restriction to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, for two months, and $10,000 forfeiture of pay per month for 6 months, Air Education and Training Command said in a statement.

Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, the first general in Air Force history to face a court-martial by jury, was found guilty earlier in the day on one count of Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, conduct unbecoming an officer for inviting a subordinate to spend the night with him; and a count of Article 92, dereliction of duty, for controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol.

The eight-general panel—the military term for a jury—found Stewart not guilty of two counts of Article 120, which forbids sexual assault. Six of the eight members of the panel had to vote that Stewart was guilty of a crime in order for him to be convicted.

Earlier this week, on June 24, Stewart pleaded guilty to one count of dereliction of duty under Article 92 for pursuing an unprofessional relationship, and to one count of violating UCMJ Article 134, for having an extramarital affair.

The maximum punishment for willful dereliction of duty not resulting in death or grievous bodily harm is a bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 6 months, according to the 2024 Manual for Courts-Martial. The maximum punishment for extramarital conduct is dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 1 year.

Had he been convicted of all charges, Stewart would have faced a maximum punishment of dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 63 years, Air Education and Training Command explained. For the charges that he was found guilty, he faced the possibility of two and a half years confinement. Stewart has the right to appeal, if an automatic appeal is not triggered, AETC said.

One legal expert called the actual punishment very light, but expected Stewart will “almost certainly” be demoted to brigadier general when he retires.

The sentence was a “missed opportunity to send a message that general officers are held to a higher standard,” said retired Col. Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor of the Air Force.

In a statement, Stewart’s senior defense counsel, Sherilyn A. Bunn, said the verdict of not guilty for sexual assault “serves as a testament to the value of the panel system.

“From the beginning, Maj Gen Stewart maintained his innocence, confident that the truth would emerge,” Bunn added. “This case has highlighted the need for a careful and respectful approach to allegations of sexual assault.”

The trial began June 17 with administrative proceedings followed by nearly a week of jury selection where more than 13 general officers—all of whom had to outrank Stewart or have pinned on a second star before him—traveled to the courtroom at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Presentation of evidence and witness testimony started June 24, including testimony from the woman who accused Stewart of sexual assault. Stewart declined to testify, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Overall, 12 witnesses testified, including Airmen, family members, friends, and digital forensics experts, according to Air Education and Training Command.

The only other Air Force general to have been court-martialed, Maj. Gen. William Cooley, was convicted of abusive sexual contact in 2022 by military judge alone. Stewart was relieved as the head of the 19th Air Force, which oversees Air Force pilot training, by Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the head of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), on May 9, 2023.