“Like a Whisper”
That’s the way a Reserve C-5 pilot at Dover AFB, Del., describes the engines of the new C-5M Super Galaxy. “The new engines are like a whisper compared to the whine of the legacy aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Mike Semo,...
C-5 RERP Must Still Prove Capability, DOT&E Report Says
According to the just-released Directorate of Operational Test & Evaluation annual report, the restructured C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program requires “further assessment” before the Pentagon can formally determine just how much the C-5M (a combination of the RERP and...
Murtha Is Convinced on Tanker Split
On a visit last week to Mobile, Ala., the top House defense appropriator, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) told business and political leaders that he is certain that the way forward for the KC-X tanker program is to split the buy...
No Shockers in Role and Missions Review
Just as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz hinted in December, the Pentagon’s newly issued Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review Report, or QRM for short, offers no revelations—at least we can’t find any. Essentially, the report (full document;...
Cyberspace, a Joint Mission
The Department of Defense’s just-released Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review Report has affirmed that cyberspace operations is a joint mission, quashing any notion that the Air Force might emerge as the lead player. (Full document; caution large file) Instead, the...
Convoy Airman Receives Bronze with Valor
MSgt. William Geiger Jr., with the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Robins AFB, Ga., has served three consecutive tours in Iraq and received two Bronze Star medals, one with Valor. Geiger, who served most of his deployments as a convoy...
DOT&E Calls JASSM “Moderate” Risk
According to the just-released Directorate of Operational Test & Evaluation Fiscal 2008 annual report, the program schedule for the Air Force-led Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, following its restructuring, offers “moderate risk.” The report states, “Pressure to maintain the production schedule...
Accessing National Airspace
The Department of Defense needs more access to the National Airspace System for its unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the Pentagon’s newly released Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review Report (full document; caution large file), the services will increasingly need that...
Forty Years and Counting
The AN/FPS-85 phased array radar operated by the 20th Space Control Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., has enabled the Air Force to track space objects for more than 40 years, passing that milestone on Jan. 16. Former and current airmen...
Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest Asia
Jan. 29, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 29 13 42 1,095 CAS/Armed Recon 39 60 99 2,833 Airlift 130 130 3,707 Air refueling 40 40 1,315 Total 311 8,950 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...