Daily Report

Northrop Grumman announced Monday that it had returned to the Air Force a B-2 bomber that has just undergone routine programmed depot maintenance—complete with a fresh paint job that includes the new Air Force Global Strike Command’s emblem. It is...

A Pentagon spokesman said EADS has asked for a 90-day extension to consider whether it would file a solo bid in the KC-X tanker replacement program. The request for proposals, released Feb. 24, set May 10 as the due date,...

Despite a slew of news reports to the contrary over the weekend quoting a US lawyer ostensibly representing Russia’s United Aircraft Company and an unidentified US contractor, there will be no Russian entrant in USAF’s KC-X tanker replacement program. RIA...

The MC-12W intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance aircraft force in Iraq has surpassed 2,000 combat sorties since arriving there and flying its first combat mission in summer 2009. Just three months ago, the 362nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron took note of its 1,000th combat mission....

Gen. Gene Renuart told lawmakers last week that one of the “greatest challenges” facing his commands—NORAD and US Northern Command—is the ability of someone “to gain access to a lower tech missile that could be launched from somewhere off our...

During Congressional testimony last week, Gen. Gene Renuart, head of NORAD and US Northern Command, told lawmakers, he has “real concerns” about the growing use of wind turbine farms to provide an alternative energy source. “The science in this is...

Along with the health care reform legislation the House approved over the weekend, lawmakers voted 403 to zero on legislation (HR 4887) introduced by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) to amend the Internal Revenue Code to term the Defense Department's Tricare military health program "minimal essential coverage." Skelton noted in floor remarks Saturday that the reform legislation currently under review would not call for Tricare beneficiaries to purchase additional coverage. He emphasized that his bill would simply "reassure" Tricare beneficiaries "they will not be negatively affected." Defense Secretary Bob Gates issued a statement Monday, confirming that the Skelton bill "clarified" the matter, saying, "The President and I are committed to seeing that our troops, retirees, and their families will continue to receive the best quality health care."

The F136 engine-maker team of General Electric and Rolls-Royce announced Monday that it had successfully hit afterburner with its third production-configuration F136, reaching all major objectives in this phase of testing. The F136 team expects to test six engines in 2010, moving toward flight test. Al DiLibero, president of the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team, said, "We are marching along in development, making progress every day, and achieving full afterburner on our newest engine demonstrates the capability and success of the F136 team." The Pentagon, however, remains firm in its stand that it no longer desires an alternate engine for the F-35 strike fighter. Despite continued Congressional interest in sustaining the F136 program, Defense Secretary Bob Gates said he would recommend a veto if lawmakers include it in the 2011 defense budget legislation.

Vision Systems Intl. announced Monday that the F-35 Gen II Helmet Mounted Display System had flown on the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant of the new strike fighter. “The most advanced helmet mounted display system in the world flew a...

Air Force officials gathered last week in the Pentagon to open a new art exhibit showcasing the work of French artist Henri Farre, who flew with the Le Premier Groupe d’Escadrille de Bombardment in World War I. The exhibit, which...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, March 17-18, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 57 73 130 4,535 CAS/Armed Recon 34 153 187 6,896 Airlift 351 351 12,538 Air refueling 80 80 3,175 Rescue 55 55 380 Total...