Daily Report

The seventh Wideband Global Satcom satellite that the Air Force has just ordered may be the first of six additional WGS spacecraft added to the fleet, according to prime contractor Boeing. WGS-7 is the first spacecraft procured under the WGS...

Air Combat Command officials on Monday released the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex. This training range spans portions of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. USAF wants to modify the complex's airspace to enable B-1 bomber aircrews from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., and B-52 aircrews from Minot AFB, N.D., to train more realistically. This includes establishing new low-altitude airspace and high-altitude training areas. Among the potential impacts cited in the draft document, the proposed action would impede civil air traffic to some extent. With the draft EIS now out, a period of public comment commences. Hearings start next month in communities near the complex to allow citizens to voice support or concern. They kick off Sept. 14 in Rapid City, S.D., and conclude in Billings, Mont., on Oct. 26. (Langley release) (Draft EIS executive summary; caution, large file.)

During the Year of the Air Force Family initiative, the Air Force learned that education is the top issue affecting its families, Suzie Schwartz, wife of Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, told the Daily Report. Accordingly, one of the...

Air Force and industry officials have completed the critical design review of the Global Positioning System Block III satellite. That means that the next-generation satellite system is ready to enter the production phase, according to a release from prime contractor...

TSgt. Benjamin Hannigan, a combat controller with the 321st Special Tactics Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, Britain, has received a Bronze Star with Valor medal for his actions in Afghanistan. He played a key role in fending off Afghan insurgents during...

The Air Force has recognized the combat actions of SSgt. Jeffrey Dicicco by awarding him a Bronze Star with Valor medal. He is a combat controller assigned to the 321st Special Tactics Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, Britain. During a deployment...

The 62nd Airlift Wing at JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., now has 52 C-17 transports in its inventory with the arrival of the newest airframe from Boeing’s C-17 plant in Long Beach, Calif. “We’re always grateful to take delivery of a new...

The Wisconsin Air National Guard is hosting the first-ever international training exercise in the US for NATO forward air controllers. Dubbed “Ramstein Rover 2010,” the exercise runs through Sept. 3 at the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center in Madison...

Members of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, recently demonstrated new security forces equipment designed to make monitoring for threats easier and responding to emergencies more efficient. This gear is collectively known as the Joint Force Protection Advanced...

For the second time since April, Air Force researchers at Tyndall AFB, Fla., have successfully demonstrated a robotic system for refueling aircraft on the ground. This automated aircraft ground refueling, or AAGR, prototype holds the promise of replacing the manual...