Daily Report

June 23, 2009

F-16 Pilot Killed in Utah Crash

According to news reports, the pilot of the F-16 that crashed Monday night (or see below) about 10:25 p.m. was killed. The aircraft from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, was destroyed on impact at the Utah Test...

F-16 Crashes in Utah

According to various news reports, an F-16 from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, crashed Monday night about 10:25 p.m. on the Utah Test and Training Range. There was no information about the fate of the pilot, who...

SOCOM Still Waiting on C-27J

According to the boss of US Special Operations Command, Adm. Eric Olson, SOCOM still needs a gunship version of the C-27J. He told lawmakers last week that the special operations forces-world believes it’s “very important” to have an airplane that...

Confirmed

Gen. Howie Chandler received Senate confirmation June 19 to become the vice chief of staff of the Air Force. No one has yet been named to succeed Chandler at Pacific Air Forces, which he has commanded since November 2007. The...

Vance Strike Is Over

Union members agreed Monday to a new labor proposal (see below, An End in Sight), enabling them to return to work immediately at Vance AFB, Okla., ending a two-week old strike that sent a portion of the student pilots at...

At the New Spectre Home

Air Force Special Operations Command formally transferred the flag of the 16th Special Operations Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla., to the unit’s new home at Cannon AFB, N.M., on June 19. As we reported in May, the first two of...

No Need for ABL Clone

According to Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, if the Pentagon were to build a second Airborne Laser aircraft today “it would not look like the current ABL,” so it’s time to restart...

Got a Handle on GPS

Space and Missile Systems Center officials say they have indeed discovered the problem and a fix for the just launched GPS IIR satellite that should enable it to join the constellation this fall. Col. Dave Madden talked via telephone with...

An End In Sight?

Various news reports said union members were expected to vote Monday on a tentative agreement reached over the weekend with CSC Applied Technologies, which holds the aircraft maintenance contract at Vance AFB, Okla., that could end the two-week strike that...

Last Tweet Training Sortie

The last T-37 Tweet training sortie has been flown at Sheppard AFB, Tex., home to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program. The Air Force formally retired the Tweet from its specialized undergraduate pilot training program last spring, after SUPT...

Northrop Delivers First STSS Demo

The first of two planned Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) demonstration satellites is at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., for launch preparation, according to a June 22 release from Northrop Grumman. The Missile Defense Agency expects to launch both STSS...

Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest Asia

June 18-20, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 67 61 128 6,971 CAS/Armed Recon 55 221 276 16,523 Airlift 410 410 23,321 Air refueling 137 137 7,700 Total 951 54,515 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...