Enduring Presence
The Air Force will have a mission in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of combat ground forces in 2014, but the mission specifics have yet to be decided, said a senior US defense official on Aug. 8. Afghanistan has agreed to...
Mind the Gap
Air Force senior leaders are trying to find ways to close the roughly 10-year gap between an airman attending Airman Leadership School and then going to a Noncommissioned Officer Academy, said CMSAF James Roy. “That timeframe is very important for...
Lower EOD Washout Rate
The Air Force has reduced its overall attrition rate among airmen attending explosive ordnance disposal training by 16 percent in the last year, thanks in large part to the 2011 overhaul of its preliminary screening course, according to EOD training...
Off With its Radome
The Air Force Satellite Control Network’s Colorado tracking station at Schriever AFB, Colo., commonly known as “Pike,” ceased frontline operations and transitioned to a backup tracking and test role. “As we go forward, Pike is going to continue to be...
Cannon Gets its Eighth MC-130J
Lockheed Martin delivered the eighth factory-fresh MC-130J Commando II special-mission aircraft to its operational unit at Cannon AFB, N.M., announced the company. Tail No. 5694 arrived at Cannon on Aug. 7 and Maj. Gen. Robert Kane, director of global reach...
JASSM ER Operational Testing Nears Completion
Members of the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Dyess AFB, Tex., are scheduled to conduct the final operational flight test of the JASSM-ER cruise missile aboard a B-1 bomber on Aug. 30. This upcoming test of the Joint Air-to-Surface...
Blended Reincarnation Takes Off
The X-48C, a reworked remotely controlled model of Boeing’s blended-wing-body research aircraft, lifted off for the first time during a test flight at Edwards AFB, Calif., announced the company. The airplane climbed to 5,500 feet and flew for nine minutes...