Seventeenth Air Force at Sembach?

By Adam J. Hebert
We are still awaiting official word about the location of 17th Air Force, the air component for US Africa Command. But a Pentagon release on selection of two Air Force generals slated to head the reactivated 17th AF dropped a...

Cyber Lobbying

Cyber Lobbying: Eighteen states have until July 1 to submit information to the Air Force that makes the case for why a location in their respective territory stands out and should host Air Force Cyber Command headquarters. But the winning...

Symptoms of Old Age

By John A. Tirpak
Symptoms of Old Age: Gen John Corley, head of Air Combat Command, carries in his hip pocket a list of age-related ills affecting his fleet. Talking with reporters March 27 in Washington D.C., Corley rattled off a litany of problems...

Hogs over Baghdad

By Marc V. Schanz
Hogs over Baghdad: The Daily Report got a firsthand look at the A-10Cs of the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Squadron, back from its first deployment to Iraq with the upgraded Warthogs late last year, during a March 27...

Next Up For A-10s, Helmet-Mounted Cueing

The airmen who fly and maintain the A-10Cs of the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Squadron say one of the final items on their wish list should be coming down the pike soon: a helmet-mounted cueing system. “It’s the...

RAF Tanker Program Moves Forward

RAF Tanker Program Moves Forward: The British Ministry of Defence signed a 27-year, private-finance-initiative contract with the AirTanker industry consortium March 27 for the provision of 14 Airbus A330-200 tanker aircraft that will enter service in 2011 to meet the RAF’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft requirement. “This is a very welcome announcement,” RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, Chief of the Air Staff, said in the MOD’s March 27 statement. AirTanker will own and support the tankers, providing air refueling and air transport services to the RAF. The new aircraft will replace the RAF’s nine TriStar and 19 VC-10 tankers. “The Airbus A330 FSTA fleet will deliver unrivalled levels of capability, reliability, flexibility and economy to the UK armed forces,” said Phil Blundell, CEO of AirTanker, in the company’s March 27 release. AirTanker comprises Cobham, EADS, Rolls-Royce, Thales UK, and VT Group. The MOD chose it as the preferred bidder for FSTA in February 2005 over a BAE Systems-Boeing team that offered the KC-767 tanker. It has taken this long to get the private financing assembled to make the deal possible. The A330 airframe was also chosen by the US Air Force Feb. 29 over the KC-767 in the KC-X tanker contest.

No Similar Reports

No Similar Reports: Air Combat Command chief Gen. John Corley said USAF F-16s have “not experienced” formaldehyde fumes seeping into their cockpits as the Israelis say has occurred with their two-seat F-16Is. “I am digging at that one, but that...

Helping Hand

Hundreds of airmen from across US Air Forces in Europe, including those flying E-3 AWACS, F-15s, F-15Es, F-16s, and KC-135s, have been converging in Eastern Europe to support Operation Noble Endeavor, the Romanian-led effort to police the skies above the...

Come Together Right Now

The Department of Defense and Intelligence Community still lack a comprehensive strategy for national security space, and until one is issued, the nation runs the risk of facing capability gaps in some areas while pursuing redundant systems in others, the...

Extensive Engine Damage in F-22 Mishap

Extensive Engine Damage in F-22 Mishap: Factors such as an adhesive with poor cohesive strength and a lack of sanctioned tools and technical guidance for maintainers led to a six-inch by eight-inch piece of low-observable material separating from an F-22A...

Make Governance a Routine

Make Governance a Routine: The Secretary of Defense should establish a set rhythm to his oversight that makes use of “some unchangeable elements of the American political landscape,” such as quadrennial defense reviews, the Center of Strategic and International Studies...

Inability to Discern Horizon Led to F-16 Loss

Inability to Discern Horizon Led to F-16 Loss: Pilot disorientation while executing a 90-degree maneuver during a nighttime training mission and the inability to recover caused an Air Force Reserve F-16C from Homestead ARB, Fla., to crash Jan. 15 over...

Predator Loss Explained

Predator Loss Explained: A failed ignition module was the primary cause of an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle crash July 30, 2007, at Balad AB, Iraq, according to the findings of the accident investigation board that Air Combat Command released...

Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest Asia

March 27, 2008 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 26 8 34 2,315 CAS/Armed Recon 64 45 109 7,039 Airlift 123 123 10,492 Air refueling 42 42 3,259 Total 308 23,105 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...