Daily Report

Boeing, EADS North America, and the new pairing of US Aerospace-Antonov all said they met the Pentagon’s July 9 deadline for submitting proposals for the Air Force’s KC-X tanker. EADS turned in its bid last Thursday, followed by Boeing on...

Now that the bids are in for the Air Force’s KC-X tanker, the Pentagon’s formal source-selection process has begun. As part of that, the clamps have come down on what the Air Force may disclose. “In order protect the integrity...

Air Force and industry officials will likely require until at least mid August to resolve a software issue associated with the Minotaur IV rocket design that has delayed the launch of the space based space surveillance satellite, according to press...

A detachment of airmen and F-15s from the Montana Air National Guard’s 120th Fighter Wing in Great Falls will soon deploy to JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to stand alert and protect the airspace around Hawaii while Hickam transitions from operating...

Representatives from Martin-Baker Aircraft are in the early stages of installing the company’s new the Mk US16T ejection seats in the Air Force’s T-38C trainer aircraft at Randolph AFB, Tex., officials there announced Friday. The new seats offer improved aircrew...

DARPA is advancing the concept of using unmanned or optionally manned A-10 aircraft for persistent close air support (PCAS). The goal is to develop the autonomous flight controls and the interfaces so that joint terminal attack controllers are able to visualize, select, and employ weapons from these A-10s at the time of their choosing. This would result in "dramatic capability improvements" compared to current CAS, enabling "near-instantaneous airborne fire," writes the agency in a July 8 announcement. DARPA intends to host a PCAS workshop on July 23 in Arlington, Va., to articulate the goals and objectives to the research community. The agency wants this work to lead to a live-fire demonstration of the concept. Back in February, DARPA projected that the demo would occur in the 2012-13 timeframe. (DARPA PCAS notice)

Senior cyber officials across the Defense Department are moving forward with creating central oversight of the military’s computer networks now that US Cyber Command has commenced initial operations. “We have lots of decisions to make in the cyber domain,” said...

DARPA last week introduced a concept called ArcLight, a high-speed, long-range conventional strike weapon launched from Mk 41 vertical launch system tubes on Navy ships. "DARPA believes this program will be a ground breaking way for the Navy and Air Force to engage deployed, time-critical targets," reads the agency's broad agency announcement, issued July 7. Utilizing the thousands of VLS in the fleet has advantages, such as the ability for worldwide coverage from just several ships, said the agency. Under a five-year, three-part program, the agency aims to demonstrate in flight a boost/glide vehicle system capable of carrying a 100 to 200-pound payload 2,000 nautical miles in approximately 30 minutes. DARPA anticipates awarding multiple phase 1 contracts to mature enabling technologies such as wing materials for the glide vehicle. Phase 1 proposals are due by August 23. (DARPA notice)

Airmen of the Afghan National Army Air Force, along with their coalition air advisors, on July 1 conducted an operational sling-load mission with one of their Mi-17 transport helicopters. It was another small milestone in the evolution of the young...

Boeing has announced that F-15E1, the company’s F-15 Silent Eagle flight demonstrator aircraft, successfully completed its maiden flight test on July 8 from Lambert airport in St. Louis. During the 80-minute, Boeing F-15 chief test pilot Dan Draeger opened and...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, July 4, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 21 56 77 12,354 CAS/Armed Recon 20 75 95 17,505 Airlift 169 169 31,769 Air refueling 51 51 8,264 Rescue 37 37 3,663 Total...