Daily Report

Capt David A. Wisniewski, 31, an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter pilot with the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., died July 2 of wounds that he sustained June 9 in a Pave Hawk crash in southeastern Afghanistan. Wisniewski succumbed...

With only four days remaining until the due date for proposals to supply the Air Force’s KC-X tanker, there are reports that a third industry team has stepped forward and indicated its intent to bid for the multi-billion-dollar procurement contract....

The Air Force is expected to complete by mid-August the acquisition strategy for the Defense Department's next-generation weather satellite, says Gil Klinger, director for space and intelligence in the Pentagon's acquisition office. The new satellite, now called the Defense Weather Satellite System, will fill the void left by the cancellation of the NPOESS weather satellite in February. The first DWSS spacecraft is planned to be available for launch in 2018, Klinger told House lawmakers during a recent oversight hearing. The Obama Administration axed NPOESS after the joint Defense Department-Commerce Department-NASA program became untenable due to management woes, cost spikes, and major schedule slips. In its place, the Air Force will pursue DWSS, while Commerce's NOAA develops the Joint Polar-Orbiting Satellite System for climate monitoring. The first JPSS launch is anticipated around 2014. (Klinger written testimony)

The 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB, N.M., on June 26 held its first capabilities exercise at nearby Melrose Air Force Range. It was intended to give approximately 400 airmen from the base and their families a better understanding...

Air Force officials on June 25 celebrated the grand opening of the new $18 million Medical Readiness Training Center at Camp Bullis, Tex. This facility, located on San Antonio’s northwest side, will host all initial, sustainment, and future medical readiness...

The Pentagon is interested in using the FAA's air route surveillance radar 3 (ARSR-3) in Fossil, Ore., as a testbed for validating software and hardware improvements that could help make such radar less vulnerable to disruption from wind turbines. Such radars are crucial for surveiling domestic airspace for air traffic safety and detecting air threats. Yet with more and more large-scale wind farms popping across the nation, some of these radars are experiencing interference from the turbines. Dorothy Robyn, deputy under secretary of defense for installations, told House lawmakers June 29 that "ideally" the Defense Department would like to accelerate the upgrades already planned for the Fossil radar from the current 2014 schedule in order to use it as a testbed. The nation's largest wind farm is currently being built in nearby Shepherds Flat. DOD in May finally dropped its opposition to that wind farm project. (Robyn prepared remarks)

More than 500 friends, family members, and military personnel gathered July 2 at Hurlburt Field, Fla., home of Air Force Special Operations Command, to honor retired Brig. Gen. Heinie Aderholt, who died May 20, at the age of 90. Aderholt,...

The Air Force Academy has selected Insitu’s ScanEagle remotely piloted aircraft to train cadets on planning and executing RPA missions. “ScanEagle was chosen because it is a superior system that is extremely intuitive, giving cadets a hands-on learning experience almost...

The Air Force has selected a contractor to carry out environmental restoration activities at the former Mather Air Force Base in Rancho Cordova, Calif., outside of Sacramento. Under the terms of the five-year, performance-based contract, URS Group will clean up...

The remains of seven airmen missing in action since World War II have been recovered and identified, the Defense Department announced July 2. They are scheduled for burial with full military honors on July 15 at Arlington National Cemetery. They...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, June 28, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 27 57 84 11,869 CAS/Armed Recon 22 69 91 16,892 Airlift 167 167 30,683 Air refueling 47 47 7,960 Rescue 26 26 3,456 Total...