The Air Force was forced to make many “tough choices” as it put together its Fiscal 2015 budget request, including the termination of the F-16 Combat Avionics Programmed Extension Suite, or CAPES, program, said Maj. Gen. Jim Martin, USAF deputy assistant secretary for budget, on Tuesday. Under the CAPES program, F-16s were to be upgraded with new AESA radar and a new cockpit display, along with data link enhancements and an improved defensive suite in an effort to keep the aging fighters viable until the F-35 strike fighter comes online. “[Termination of] that program did save us money over the [Future Years Defense Program], but let me be very clear that we still invested money in our legacy aircraft to keep them viable,” said Martin during an AFA-sponsored, Air Force breakfast event in Arlington, Va. “We did provide some upgrades and modifications for our F-15s, for example, so we did our best in the legacy aircraft to keep those platforms capable.” The Air Force’s Fiscal 2015 budget requests $240.947 million for the APG-82(V) radar modernization program for F-15E Strike Eagles, up significantly from the $182.927 million for the program in Fiscal 2013. In addition, USAF will continue to fund the APG-63(V)3 radar upgrade for its F-15C/D Eagles, according to budget documents. (For a full list of Fiscal 2015 budget documents, click here.)
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.