Daily Report

The Air Force filed the draft environmental impact statement for its first set of preferred operational basing locations for the F-35 strike fighter. Hill AFB, Utah, is the preferred Active Duty alternative and Burlington AGS, Vt., is the preferred Air National Guard location. However, the Air Force also is considering Jacksonville AGS, Fla.; McEntire JNGB, S.C.; Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; and Shaw AFB, S.C. "The Air Force is analyzing the impacts of basing three squadrons of 24 aircraft each at the Active Duty location and one squadron of 24 aircraft at the Air National Guard location," said Kathleen Ferguson, USAF's installations chief. The Air Force on April 13 announced the draft EIS' release. Service officials now will conduct 17 public hearings near potentially impacted communities through May to receive citizens' feedback. A final decision on the Active Duty base and ANG location is expected this fall. "We remain committed to the future of the F-35, which represents the future of tactical aviation for the Air Force," said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. Aircraft beddown would begin in 2015, according to the draft EIS executive summary (caution, very large-sized file). (Washington, D.C., report by Mitch Gettle)

The Air Force on Monday intends to issue the amended draft solicitation for the Light Air Support program, announced service officials last week. The original offerors, Hawker Beechcraft and Sierra Nevada, will be eligible to participate in the restarted program to supply 20 multirole light-attack aircraft to the Afghan air force starting in mid 2014—a delay of some 15 months compared to the program's original schedule, they said in a release. Service officials plan to meet separately on Monday with representatives from both companies to discuss the terms of the revised draft proposal, states the release. Both companies will have the opportunity to submit comments; the Air Force expects to release the final version of the amended request for proposal by April 30. Service officials aim to award the LAS contract early next year, enabling "the first aircraft delivery to Afghanistan in third quarter 2014," states the release. The Air Force chose Sierra Nevada at the end of last year as the LAS supplier. The service subsequently withdrew the company's contract after discovering that the documentation justifying its decision to procure 20 modified A-29 Super Tucanos was inadequate. That decision gives Hawker Beechcraft's AT-6 another shot.

The F-35 schoolhouse at Eglin AFB, Fla., recently launched its first formal F-35 maintenance course. “This is hugely significant for all services because we are getting our maintainers prepped for when we are fully stood up for F-35 training in...

Air Force Space Command has directed its personnel to cease wearing flight suits, the green flight jacket, and the A-2 leather jacket by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. This decision aims to standardize uniforms across the command...

Air Mobility Command is packing US military airlifters on their return flights to the United States with excess war material from Southwest Asia in an effort to avoid a log jam as coalition operations in Afghanistan wind down. “We are...

Officials at Nellis AFB, Nev., last week transitioned the base’s 763rd Maintenance Squadron from Air Force Special Operations Command to Air Combat Command. As part of the change, the unit is now designated the 823rd Maintenance Squadron and falls under...

Having a new defense strategy post Iraq war and as the United States starts withdrawing from Afghanistan is “a real plus,” regardless of how one views the strategy, said retired Gen. Ron Fogelman, former Air Force Chief of Staff, last...

Despite the differences some have expressed with the Obama Administration’s new defense strategy, the document lays out a “floor” for what a future force will look like, said Sean O’Keefe, EADS North America chairman and CEO and former Navy Secretary....

Masters students at the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, Calif., have been tackling a peculiar flight anomaly of the C-12 Huron as a final challenge in their year-long degree program. “As students go through TPS, they learn...