USAF Says Uncle on UAVs
The Air Force will drop its long quest to be named executive agent for unmanned aerial vehicles, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said in an interview Dec. 22. The issue of having the Air Force serve as the DOD...
Not So on Space
Despite believing the Air Force should abandon executive agency for higher flying unmanned aerial vehicles, the service’s top leader still thinks USAF is best equipped to be the lead for space. In a Dec. 22 interview, Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief...
New B-2A Radar Enters Production Phase
The Air Force awarded a production contract worth approximately $468 million Dec. 29 to the Northrop Grumman-led industry team that is upgrading the radar on the B-2A stealth bomber. Under the terms of the deal, the team, which includes radar-provider...
Smaller, Cheaper, Faster
The Air Force may well shift toward smaller, less-capable, but more numerous satellites in the coming years, says Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff. In November, Air Force Space Command boss Gen. Robert Kehler proposed such an approach at AFA’s...
In a Viper Cockpit for 166 Days
Col. David Lujan, deputy commander of the 56th Operations Group at Luke AFB, Ariz., on Dec. 22 became the 17th pilot to amass 4,000 flight hours in an F-16. “It’s pretty good company to be with,” said Lujan, a command...
True Lifesavers
Reservists with the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick AFB, Fla., and its geographically separated units in Arizona and Oregon, have saved more than 300 US troops since deploying to Afghanistan in February 2008. These airmen fly HH-60 rescue helicopter missions...
Bragging Rights
The 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., has gone more than one year without a chargeable foreign-object-debris incident, marking a record for the B-1B community. “In the world of aviation, FOD can become a major contributor to maintenance costs,”...
Another Command Post Merger
The active duty 21st Space Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd Airlift Wing, both headquartered at Peterson AFB, Colo., merged their command posts on Dec. 16, creating the integrated Peterson Installation Control Center. This move is part of an...
Filmmaker Fighter Pilot Dies
World War II fighter pilot Quentin Aanenson, who produced a documentary on his wartime experiences that aired widely on public television, died Dec. 28 of cancer, reports Associated Press. He was 87. According to a Washington Post report (requires free...
Air Sorties from SWA
Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest AsiaDec. 26-29, 2008 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 111 66 177 13,474 CAS/Armed Recon 170 249 419 37,222 Airlift 550 550 47,030 Air refueling 165 165 18,009 Total 1,311 115,735...