USAF B-52 Bombers Fly Over Baltics Near Russian Territory

May 29, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

Two B-52 Stratofortresses from a U.S. Air Force bomber task force flew over the Baltics and Eastern Europe on May 28, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said.

The two B-52s are deployed to RAF Fairford, U.K., as part of a four-aircraft bomber task force from Air Force Global Strike Command’s 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. The BUFFs, operating as the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, took off around 8:30 a.m. for a roughly eight-hour flight.

A spokesperson for U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the pair of B-52s were escorted by two Spanish F-18 Hornets, two Polish MiG-29s, and five total German Eurofighter Typhoons at different points in the exercise as the strategic bombers “flew over the Baltic region” during the mission on May 28.

According to publicly available flight tracking data, at one point, the B-52s flew roughly a few dozen kilometers from Russian territory in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland, and flew around the territory again on the way back to the U.K. The B-52s circled over Lithuania and also flew through Dutch, German, and Polish airspace.

The bomber task force mission is “a demonstration of NATO allies and partner nations’ ability to seamlessly operate together to maintain a stable and prosperous Baltic Sea region,” the USAFE spokesperson said. “This sends a strong message to potential adversaries, deters aggression, enhances stability, and assures Euro‐Atlantic publics.”

NATO Allied Air Command said on May 24 that the BTF was operating in “a NATO context with one focus on the Baltic region.” Another bomber task force made up of B-1s is operating in the Pacific out of Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, but the Air Force has released few details about that deployment so far.

Two B-52s from the BTF flew north over the Baltic Sea to launch the bomber task force on May 24. The Swedish military announced that the bombers practiced striking land-based targets in an exercise with Sweden’s Navy.

On May 29, two B-52s flew circles over the North Sea. USAFE did not immediately provide details of the mission.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on May 30 with additional details.

How Airmen Pulled Off an ‘Unheard-of’ 26-Hour C-130 Flight Across the Pacific

May 29, 2024 | By David Roza

The loud, rugged C-130J transport plane is not known for comfort, but that did not stop two crews assigned to the 40th Airlift Squadron from flying more than 26 hours and 7,000 miles from their home at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, to Guam last month in an effort to prepare for potential conflict in the Pacific.

“The idea is from home station we will conduct the max endurance mission, the 26-hour mission, to get into theater as quickly as possible, and then execute follow-on missions,” Maj. Alex Leach, mission commander and the squadron’s assistant director of operations, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

As a part of Air Mobility Command, which oversees Air Force transport and tanker aircraft, the 40th Airlift Squadron is getting ready to help carry the rest of the military’s troops and equipment across the vast distances of the Pacific. But with a range of 1,840 miles, the turboprop C-130J would run out of gas before it reached Hawaii.

Luckily, 40th Airlift Squadron had a secret weapon: external fuel tanks carrying 17,000 pounds of gas, roughly four extra hours of flying. The tanks powered the C-130Js all the way from west Texas to Hawaii without stopping, a previously “unheard of” feat in the Super Hercules, Leach said. The squadron is not the first to fly a C-130J with tanks, but it was the first in Air Mobility Command to use them in a maximum endurance operation (MEO), the term for very long flights meant to test the capabilities of the crew and the aircraft.

If an actual conflict took place in the Pacific, Hawaii would likely be just the first stop on the way to fighting further west. The first crew would not have time to rest, so the Dyess contingent brought along a second crew to fly the trip to Guam. Each crew was composed of three pilots and two loadmasters.

“After initial takeoff [from Dyess], we more or less banned the second crew from the flight deck,” said Leach. “We wanted them to rest mentally and physically as much as they could.”

c-130 — A U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 40th Airlift Squadron takes off from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in support of a Maximum Endurance Operation to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, April 18, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Leon Redfern)

Easier said than done: the plane’s loud engines and vibrations makes getting rest a challenge, the major said. But the Airmen hung up hammocks to mitigate the rumbling and marked off a section near the back where the second crew would not be disturbed by others walking back and forth.

Improving human performance in such conditions is one of Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Mike Minihan’s top objectives, since some tanker and transport crews may find themselves flying for 72 hours or longer in a near-peer conflict. Aircrews are using biometrics and healthy habits to inform better strategies for MEOs, and medical experts from the 7th Bomb Wing rode along on the long flight, which was dubbed ‘Hazard Leap,’ to help the crew and learn from the experience.

“They recommended not being on your phones: normal, ‘go to bed’ kind of techniques. Most people tried to read a book or listen to a podcast,” Leach said. “You try not to dramatically change what you do before you go to bed and eat when you normally eat, to keep it as healthy as you possibly can.”

It seemed to do the trick; by the time Leach and the rest of the second crew took over in Hawaii, they were “ready to go,” he said. “Not 100 percent but definitely able to operate the aircraft with no problem.”

Hazard Leap ended after the crew landed in Guam on April 20, but Hazard Spear was just beginning. In that exercise, Dyess Airmen helped transport troops and equipment for the 4th Marine Regiment during Exercise Balikatan 2024, an annual operation where U.S. and Philippine troops train together. Specifically, the crew practiced landing at blacked-out airfields, forward area refueling, and loading and off-loading High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

“While we all know how to upload these things at home, we don’t really do it too often,” Leach said. “So for the Marines, and for us, there was a moment of ‘where do we put this thing in at again?’ It was an extremely valuable experience for us.”

U.S. Marines from Marine Aircraft Group 24 and Marine Wing Support Squadron 174 discuss how to offload cargo with U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Joshua Bredwell, 40th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, during Exercise Balikatan 24 at Basco Airfield, Philippines, April 28, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Leon Redfern)

Rapidly moving HIMARS between islands is a key element of the U.S. battle plan for the Pacific. Leach was impressed to see the rocket artillery platform’s GPS system tie into the C-130’s so that when it arrived in a new location, the HIMARS “knows where it’s at and gets a firing solution pretty much instantaneously once it gets off the aircraft,” he said. “That was something unique that our crews got to see.”

Later, after delivering a fuel bladder to Marines on another island as a part of Balikatan, the Dyess crew was told that they were the largest aircraft to have ever landed there.

“These little islands in the north Philippines are extremely difficult for vessels to get into,” Leach said. “So for us to fly from Guam, which obviously is a big hub, offload all the equipment, all the people, all the fuel that they need to conduct combat operations in the Luzon Strait, is very important strategically.”

Like the 26-hour flight to Guam, the external fuel tanks made it possible.

“We didn’t have to upload any fuel, in fact we gave them fuel and were able to fly back on the same day, with literally zero ground support,” Leach said. “It was just us and the Marines. And that’s it.”

Air Force Mission Capable Rates Fall in 2023, Led by Declines for F-15C and B-1

May 29, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Mission capable rates across most Air Force fleets declined in fiscal 2023, continuing a broad downward trend, according to information provided by the service. Readiness fell predictably in high-demand, hard-used assets and some systems approaching retirement, but the availability of some vintage aircraft continues to hold up well.

Mission capable rates measure the percentage of time an aircraft is able to perform at least one of its core missions, while “full mission capable” rates refer to an aircraft being able to do all its assigned missions. For example, an F-16’s missions include dogfighting, ground attack, suppressing enemy air defenses, etc. Full mission capable rates were not provided. The service has said the way it measures mission capability rates has changed in recent years, with more focus on readiness of aircraft either already deployed or about to deploy and less on stateside aircraft.

The service has said it aims for an mission capable rate average of 75-80 percent. The unweighted average of all fleets in 2023 was 69.92 percent, down from 71.24 percent in fiscal 2022. The rates are not weighted by numbers of aircraft in a particular fleet, and the numbers also include aircraft that were fully divested by the end of fiscal 2023, such as the KC-10 tanker.

Of 64 aircraft types that carried over from 2022 to 2024, 44 saw a decline in mission capable rate—more than two-thirds. Those in decline included most of the service’s biggest, most active fleets.

The F-15C—which is flight restricted due to structural issues and is now about ten years past its planned retirement date—posted the lowest MC rate among fleets with at least a dozen aircraft, at 33 percent. That means that typically, two of three aircraft were not available for action.

Other types available less than half the time included the B-1B bomber, C-5M strategic airlifter, CV-22 tiltrotor, E-3B AWACS, C-130H, and RQ-4B Global Hawk drone.

The B-1B’s rate fell from 54.8 percent to 47 percent, even though the Air Force reduced the size of the fleet two years ago by 17 airplanes but preserved the manpower and maintenance funding associated with the bomber in order to boost its availability. The C-5M’s rate fell from 52.6 percent to 46 percent, despite a decade-long, $10 billion re-engining, avionics, and structural upgrade intended to jumpstart the Galaxy’s flagging availability rates.

In fiscal 2022, the Air Force had:

No airplane types reporting MC rates below 25 percent

Five between 26 and 50 percent

38 between 51 and 75 percent

26 between 76 and 100 percent

In fiscal 2023, those numbers fell to

One type below 25 percent (the MC-130H, with a zero percent MC rate)

Nine between 25 and 50 percent

26 between 51 and 75 percent

28 between 76 and 100 percent

The bulk of those aircraft performing best were in the small and medium cargo/utility categories—notably C-12 variants, with an MC rate of 99 or 100 percent—as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance types such as the MQ-9 drone, which specifically turned in an MC rate of 86 percent.

The bomber fleet all performed at less than 60 percent mission capable, with the B-1 at 47 percent, the B-2 at 56 percent and the B-52 at 54 percent. Those figures include a monthslong grounding of the B-2, called a “safety pause” by the Air Force. The previous year’s rates for those three aircraft were 55, 53 and 59 percent, respectively.

Fighters generally checked in between 52 percent—the stealthy F-22’s rate—and 69 percent, the rate for the F-16C, although the brand-new, two-airplane fleet of F-15EXs logged a MC rate of 86 percent. A third F-15EX has since joined the force, and 96 more are coming in the next few years. The venerable A-10C, which the Air Force will divest by the end of the decade, had an MC rate of 67 percent.

The Air Force did not provide an MC rate for its F-35As. However, the Government Accountability Office reported in April that the Air Force’s F-35A mission capable rate as 51.9 percent in fiscal 2023, down from 56 in 2022.

The new KC-46A tanker turned in an MC rate of 65 percent, down from last year’s rate of just under 70 percent. The KC-135, which it will replace, came in at 69 percent.

The T-38 supersonic trainer fleet—overdue for replacement by the T-7A Red Hawk—managed rates between 58 and 70 percent. The oldest T-38As had an MC rate of 63 percent, but the upgraded T-38C only managed 58 percent, while the AT-38B lead-in fighter trainer hit 70 percent.

The E-8C Joint STARS, which has been divested, turned in a final MC rate of 64 percent.

While the Air Force has pointed to low MC rates, obsolescence, and vanishing vendor issues as the reason for divesting or retiring C-135 series types such as AWACS and JSTARS, other C-135 variants—used for signals intelligence, reconnaissance, weather, etc.‚are doing well, between 76 and 87 percent mission capable.

The Air Force said it generally prioritized modernization over readiness in the fiscal 2025 budget request which went to Congress in March. But it included readiness asks in its Unfunded Priorities List, which Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said were “targeted” to specific fixes and parts that could produce disproportionately large gains in readiness.

AIRCRAFT TYPE	2023 MC%	2022 MC%
A-10C	67%	69.70%
AC-130J	76%	80.80%
AT-38B	70%	74.20%
B-1B	47%	54.80%
B-2A	56%	52.80%
B-52H	54%	59.30%
C-12C	99%	98.70%
C-12D	100%	100.00%
C-12F	99%	95.60%
C-12J	100%	100.00%
C-130H	44%	68.40%
C-130J	72%	74.90%
C-17A	76%	77.50%
C-21A	100%	100.00%
C-32A	88%	88.40%
C-37A	93%	94.50%
C-37B	91%	91.20%
C-40B	88%	89.90%
C-40C	91%	90.10%
C-5M	46%	52.60%
CV-22B	46%	51.90%
E-3B	47%	40.20%
E-3G	60%	63.90%
E-4B	61%	55.40%
E-8C	63%	49.20%
EC-130H	33%	68.90%
EC-130J	63%	67.20%
F-15C	33%	45.70%
F-15D	55%	58.50%
F-15E	55%	51.60%
F-15X	85%	84.60%
F-16C	69%	70.70%
F-16D	65%	68.90%
F-22A	52%	57.40%
F-35A	51%	65.40%
HC-130J	72%	76.40%
HH-60G	67%	68.90%
HH-60W	67%	60.80%
KC-10A	79%	80.40%
KC-135R	69%	72.00%
KC-135T	67%	69.60%
KC-46A	65%	69.90%
LC-130H	48%	54.70%
MC-12W	100%	100.00%
MC-130H	0%	68.50%
MC-130J	76%	79.40%
MQ-9A	86%	89.90%
RC-135S	73%	80.60%
RC-135U	85%	79.50%
RC-135V	71%	70.00%
RC-135W	77%	67.70%
RQ-4B	50%	70.80%
T-1A	78%	76.30%
T-38A	63%	69.50%
T-38C	58%	57.20%
T-6A	62%	71.40%
TC-135W	82%	76.10%
TE-8A	79%	83.00%
TH-1H	60%	71.70%
U-2S	76%	73.50%
TU-2S	81%	69.60%
UH-1N	78%	81.80%
UV-18B	100%	N/A
WC-130J	68%	64.10%
WC-135R	87%	73.30%

Belgium Pledges F-16s to Ukraine ‘as Quickly as Possible.’ F-35 Deliveries Could Complicate Things

May 28, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

Belgium pledged to provide Ukraine with more than two dozen F-16s in a pact agreed to by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the country May 28.

The F-16s will be delivered “as quickly as possible,” according to the security cooperation agreement. But Belgium’s pledge comes with significant caveats.

The agreement does not guarantee that the first Belgian F-16s will arrive before the end of 2024, though it says the Belgian government will strive to meet the end-of-year goal. That’s because the F-16 delivery schedule is linked to Belgium’s acquisition of F-35As to maintain and strengthen its own military capabilities.

“Belgium will do everything possible, in consultation with its allies and partners of the F-16 coalition, to accelerate the first delivery, if possible before the end of 2024, without endangering its security and the operationally of its air capacity and taking into account the delivery of the F-35s to the Belgian Air Component and subsequent decommissioning of the F-16s,” the agreement states.

Ukraine also cannot use Belgian-provided F-16s over Russian territory, according to the pact.

“Everything which is covered by this agreement is very clear—it is for utilization by the Ukraine Defense Forces on Ukraine[‘s] territory,” De Croo said.

Belgium has already received its first F-35, and the first training on the jets by the country’s Air Component, as its air force is known, is scheduled for this summer. Belgium’s government has previously announced its intent to buy 34 F-35s to replace its F-16 fleet. Belgium plans to give Ukraine 30 F-16s by 2028.

“F-16 jets will be provided to Ukraine as soon as possible,” De Croo said. “Our aim is to be able to provide the first aircraft before the end of this year, 2024.”

Lockheed Martin’s deliveries of F-35s have generally been hampered by delays in software and hardware issues associated with the Technology Refresh 3 and Block 4 upgrades

“Ukraine is looking forward to receiving F-16 fighter jets from its Western partners to strengthen the defense of our skies,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on social media.

Ukranians continue to be killed by the Russian invader every day.

Dear @ZelenskyyUa, these F-16 will be yours to help you protect your citizens.

Ukraine can only push back Russia with more and better arms, delivered at a faster pace. pic.twitter.com/YVHydmTGPw
— Alexander De Croo 🇧🇪🇪🇺 (@alexanderdecroo) May 28, 2024

Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands have also pledged to provide the U.S.-made fighters.

Zelenskyy visited Melsbroek Air Base in Belgium, where he met with Ukrainian service members who are being trained to maintain F-16. “We are also waiting for our warriors, who are training to maintain F-16s, at home,” Zelenskyy said in his statement. “They are highly motivated to start performing combat missions and speed up the victory of our country.”

The Belgium-Ukraine agreement says the F-16s will be used to “strengthen Ukraine’s defense capacity and defend its airspace and territory against Russian military targets.” But it does not spell out what munitions will be provided or specify details on how the F-16 will be maintained and where the aircraft will be based.

The agreement says that Belgium is working on how to provide “F-16 ordnance” and will be part of a coalition that helps train Ukrainian pilots and technicians, supports the long-term maintenance of the fighters, and establishes “proper facilities in Ukraine.”

The first American-trained Ukrainian F-16 pilots have graduated from U.S.-based training at the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported May 23.

Ukraine has already employed air-launched Western munitions, but they have proved to be less effective than hoped, according to a recent report by The Washington Post, due to Russian electronic warfare, especially JDAM-guided bombs. Some weapons reportedly used by Ukraine, such as air-launched small-diameter bombs, have proved more resilient to jamming, according to the Post, which cited confidential Ukrainian assessments.

U.S. officials have previously noted that Ukrainian pilots have had to fly low to avoid Russian air defenses, reducing the effectiveness of weapons. “They’re somewhat effective,” a U.S. senior defense official said in February of the Ukrainian Air Force. “The problem they have, that Russia has as well, is both sides have a pretty sophisticated integrated air and missile defense system.”

Air Force Bases Evacuate Aircraft, Report No Damage from Severe Storms

May 28, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Air Force bases in Kansas and Oklahoma evacuated their aircraft ahead of severe weather over Memorial Day weekend, but no Air Force installations in the region experienced any serious issues from the storms, which caused more than two dozen deaths and massive power outages across the southern and central U.S.

Several KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-46A Pegasus aircraft departed McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on May 25 to avoid severe weather forecasted for the Wichita area later that day and the following day.

The relocation was to “protect the aircraft from potential damage, but also preserve the 22nd Air Refueling Wing’s capability to support its worldwide aerial refueling and airlift mission,” a base spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The aircraft count and the receiving base locations were not revealed due to operational security. The spokesperson added that aircraft undergoing various phases of maintenance, along with a range of flightline vehicles and equipment, were safely stored in hangars during the weekend.

A KC-46A Pegasus takes off from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, April 15, 2024. Due to the possibility of high winds and hail, the majority of McConnell’s aircraft left the base for a weather relocation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st class William Lunn)

The base reported no damage after the storm, and all of the refueling tankers returned to the base on May 26, the spokesperson confirmed.

This marked McConnell’s fourth aircraft relocation in six weeks due to severe weather, following its tankers’ evacuation earlier this month in response to potential large hail and tornadoes warnings.

Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.—the hub of maintenance and sustainment center for various aircraft, including the E-3 Sentry, E-6 Mercury, and KC-135 Stratotanker—also flushed their aircraft from the base ahead of the severe weather. A 72nd Air Base Wing spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the aircraft have already started returning, and the base suffered no serious issues from the weather.

Other Air Force installations across the region reported no aircraft movement or site damage from the storm, including:

Altus Air Force Base, Okla.

Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas

Dyess Air Force Base, Texas

Devastating storms and tornadoes pummeled parts of the South and Midwest U.S. starting on the evening of May 25, spreading eastward on May 27.

Air Force installations frequently choose to evacuate their aircraft in advance of storms. Altus did so in April ahead of forecasted tornadoes, and with hurricane season officially beginning June 1, bases in Florida and other southeastern states may do so in the months ahead. The National Weather Service is predicting an above-average hurricane activity in the Atlantic this year.

Space Force Eyes Better EW Test and Training Ranges with New Contract Awards

May 28, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Force has awarded six-month contracts to six different companies to develop plans for improving the service’s electronic warfare training capabilities in the latest move in USSF’s efforts to upgrade its test and training infrastructure.

Space Training and Readiness Command and Space Systems Command collaborated on the contract awards, which were given to NouSystems, ExoAnalytic Solutions, TMC Design, HII Mission Technologies Corp., Parsons Government Services Inc., and Lockheed Martin. Announced last week, the contracts started at the end of February and will last through August.

The program, dubbed Advanced Space Technology for Range Operations-Electromagnetic Range or ASTRO-E, is aimed at providing enhanced “ground infrastructure and on-orbit subjects” for electronic warfare test and training, according to a service release.

“By providing space warfighters with interconnected, scalable, and distributed physical and digital ranges for full-spectrum testing and training, this project will enable joint warfighting solutions to prevail in conflict,” the release added.

The program would be just the latest addition to what the Space Force calls the National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC), a collection of sensors and assets on the ground and in orbit that the service uses as “the gym where we go to work out the force,” then-STARCOM commander Maj. Gen. Shawn W. Bratton said in May 2023.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman made improving test and training infrastructure one of his top priorities from the very start of his tenure. In his confirmation hearing before the Senate in 2022, he noted that, “We don’t have simulators that allow our operators to practice their tactics against a thinking adversary, even if it’s a simulated adversary. We don’t have good simulators. We don’t have ranges where they can routinely practice their tradecraft. We don’t have the ability to link multiple units together so they can practice the coordination that’s necessary to do large force employments, if you will.”

In the two years since, the Space Force has sought to address the issue through its Operational Test and Training Infrastructure initiative.

“We are already building live ranges to conduct events in the actual environment ensuring ‘ground truth’ is captured for systems and tactics evaluations,” Saltzman said of the effort this February at the AFA Warfare Symposium. “We are also creating an intelligence-informed inventory of adversary capabilities—with Opposing Forces whose tactics reflect actual counterspace threats to the space, ground, and link segments. Finally, we are investing in high-fidelity mission-specific simulators that replicate each unique mission area, weapons system, and their associated crew positions.”

STARCOM and SSC have collaborated on an integrated program office, and the budget devoted to the enterprise is exploding from $350 million in fiscal 2024 to a planned $438 million in 2025—a 25 percent increase even as the Space Force’s overall budget is projected to decline slightly.

In congressional testimony earlier this year, Saltzman highlighted EW in particular as an area where the Space Force was expanding its test and training infrastructure investments. Such investments could help expand new exercise series like Black Skies, the Space Force’s premier EW training event that expanded in September to include more than 170 participants with live-fire and simulated portions.

Experts: Digital Engineering Can Help Field New Weapons Faster Than Acquisition Reform

May 24, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Embracing and incentivizing digital methods in design and manufacturing can help the U.S. match or outpace its adversaries, a new report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies argues—and top Pentagon and industry officials say they are working to do just that.

Digital methods go beyond computer-aided design in that all participants in the design, development, test, and production enterprise can see a design in real-time and be aware of any changes being made as they are happening. This allows these efforts to proceed concurrently, rather than wait for the handoff from one phase to another.

During a virtual rollout of their new policy paper, analysts Heather Penney and Brian Morra said digital engineering will speed up the fielding of new systems far more rapidly than trying to reform and accelerate the existing acquisition system.

Jeffrey Reed, director of engineering/digital transformation at Northrop Grumman, offered tangible examples of that speed, saying his company has applied the digital approach to 140 programs and is seeing increased velocity across the board. The company applied some “automated checks” to compare progress on old-style programs against the digital ones, and found “rework rates are going down.”

Northrop found “a dramatic decrease … in a completely apples-to-apples comparison in the hours to manufacture.” It was a “surprising decrease” because of digital engineering, and “it moves the learning process left, and you do it earlier,” he said.

Gaining widespread acceptance of digital engineering is a work-in-progress within the Pentagon. David Tremper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for acquisition integration and interoperability, said the DOD is working on converting the “mindset” of the acquisition community to accept and exploit the digital approach.

Older employees, he said, may distrust the new format, especially because they have been evaluated their whole career on doing things in the prescribed way laid down in decades-old acquisition law. Younger employees, however, “demand” doing things the new way. They don’t have the patience for plodding, paper-intensive methods, he said. New—and shorter—courses in applying digital methods are being required at Defense Acquisition University, he said.

“The Department has set up something called the Digital Engineering credential,” he said. It’s “a series of courses. It’s five courses mixed in with some webinars that allow learning on digital engineering and acquisition programs. And…1,200 folks have come through that credentialing process since 2019, and it’s continuing to evolve.”

Older acquisition professionals are coming along, he said, because they can see that digital makes their jobs easier.

That buy-in is crucial, Penney and Morra argue, because the current ponderous U.S. acquisition system of sequential development and production milestones won’t work against the “blistering” pace with which China is fielding new systems.

“China is outpacing us in development and fielding of advanced weapon systems,” Penney said. “They have 200 J-20s,” China’s premiere stealth fighter considered comparable to the Air Force’s F-22, she said, “and they’re building more at a rate of 100 a year. Compare that to Air Force recapitalization rates.”

While acquisition reform is a “noble” pursuit and must be pursued, digital offers a faster way to catch up to U.S. competitors, Penney said.

“Digital engineering has the potential to accelerate defense capability development and fielding without the need for acquisition reform, and this could have a major, major impact on our strategic positioning against China and Russia.” She quoted Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s oft-uttered warning that “we are out of time,” and faster ways must be found to correct the Air Force’s status of being “the smallest, the oldest, and the least ready that it’s ever been in its history.”

Penney said she and Morra originally intended the paper to be a “primer” on digital methods and lexicography, but it became apparent that digital offers a quicker means of achieving faster acquisition results that reformers have sought for years. It pairs well with acquisition reforms and authorities recently granted by Congress to skip steps and accelerate programs.

For the past three years, Air Force Materiel Command has been shifting its processes to a digital approach and will apply them not only on the front end of programs, but in the sustainment phase as well.

And while digital works best on new systems like the B-21 and Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, it can also be applied to older systems, Penney said. Creating a “digital twin” of a B-52 bomber wing can accelerate the process of fitting new-design pylons and engines, as is being done with the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP).

Overall, there has been a push to emulate the successes of lean organizations like the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, but Penney said that these efforts haven’t worked because their approach is impractical for large programs.

“They’re important organizations that focus on a small number of often highly classified capabilities,” she said. “These offices go fast and deliver good stuff, but their organizations and their approach simply cannot scale; consider all of the programs the Air Force has in its portfolio and its recapitalization needs.”

Still digital efforts are yielding good success by allowing all elements of a design, development and production enterprise to pursue those phases in parallel rather than sequentially, and Penney and Morra offered six recommendations in their report to help the process along.

The Department of the Air Force should “incentivize the use of comprehensive digital engineering” for new-start acquisition programs. This approach should be rewarded in contracting because it will save time and money in development and sustainment.

DAF leadership should review all programs to see if they can be all-digital, or “hybrid digital” programs, or how legacy (pre-digital) programs could benefit from some digital applications, then put these into effect.

DAF leadership needs to invest in training its acquisition workforce in understanding and using digital tools and processes.

DAF leaders should promote “open standards” for digital systems, so programs can talk to each other and expand the possibility for reuse of some elements, to save on time, money and sustainment.

The DAF should maintain a library of digital engineering tools and make them available to small businesses, sub-tier suppliers, and other elements of the vendor base that may lack the sophistication to develop or buy such tools on their own. This would also provide benefits in cyber resiliency, improve quality and “ultimately expand the larger digital ecosystem.”

The DAF and its prime contractors and their vendor chains “must ensure their IT infrastructures are modernized and secure.”

Air Force Bumps Up Maximum Payout, Number of Career Fields Eligible for Reenlistment Bonus

May 24, 2024 | By David Roza

The Air Force is upping the maximum amount in bonuses it will hand out to Airmen it is trying to retain in select career fields, from the previous limit of $100,000 up to $180,000 starting Oct. 1.

The number of career fields eligible for a bonus has also increased to 73, up 43 percent from last year’s 51 eligible career fields. All of the career fields represented on last year’s list are on this year’s too, the Air Force said in a May 23 press release.

The Air Force did not specify the new career fields in its release, but a spokesperson confirmed that a list posted to social media is accurate. The new eligible fields include air traffic control, electronic non-communications analyst, manpower management, and religious affairs.

The exact amount of bonus funds awarded varies based on several factors, including Airmen’s monthly basic pay, the length of the reenlistment, and experience level. New this year, the Air Force is extending its service cap from 72 months (6 years), to 96 months (8 years), which the service says can help Airmen receive larger bonuses and allow more flexibility in their reenlistment contract.

Airmen can also reenlist up to 12 months before their current term of service expires, which should give them more time to decide and open up a larger pool of eligible Airmen, the Air Force said in its release. The bonus can be made as a lump sum or as partial installments. The career cap is set at $360,000.

Retention bonuses are supposed to help retain Airmen in critical career fields with low manning, retention rates, or with extensive skills training. The economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge in retention, and the number of fields eligible for retention bonus dropped to just 37 in 2021, down from 72 in 2020 and 115 in 2019.

Retention has returned to pre-pandemic levels: Lt. Gen. Caroline Miller, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, told lawmakers earlier this month that the Air Force had bumped up its Active Duty recruiting goal from 26,000 recruits to 27,200 in response to “observed declines in current year retention averages and to help offset potential future retention trend declines.”

In its fiscal 2025 budget request, the Air Force included $1.1 billion for bonuses and retention programs for 118,000 positions, a major bump over last year’s request of $648 million for 65,000 positions.

Even so, experts have pointed out that the Air Force lacks accessible data on the effectiveness of retention bonuses.

“I can’t tell if a really big bonus offered 10 years ago to people working with computers was effective, because I can’t go back and see if the person who was offered the bonus got out or stayed,” RAND senior operations researcher and retired Air Force veteran Lisa Harrington told Air & Space Forces Magazine in January. “We really do need to be capturing the decision space of the individual Airman in the work we do.”

Air Force Specialty Code	Special Experience Identifier	Skill Level	Career Field	Zone A	Zone B	Zone C	Zone E
1A1X3D		3, 5	Special Mission Aviator (C-130J Loadmaster)	2	2	0	0
1A1X3E		3, 5, 7	Special Mission Aviator (WC-130J Loadmaster	2	2	1	0
1A8X1G		3, 5, 7	Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst – Chinese	4	3.5	2	1
1A8X1I		3, 5, 7	Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst – Russian	4	3.5	2	1
1A8X1K		3,5	Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst – Persian	3	0	0	0
1B4X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 1B000	Cyber Warfare Operations	7	7	5	3
1C1X1		3, 5	Air Traffic Control	3	3	0	0
1C3X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 1C300	All-Domain Command and Control Operations	2	3	2	1
1C5X1		3, 5	Battle Management Ops	1	1	0	0
1C5X1D		3, 5, 7	Battle Management Ops (Weapons Director)	3	4	3	0
1D791		9	Cyberspace Defense Operations, Superintendent	0	0	2	3
1D7X1M	1AL, 1AP, 1AM or 1A0	3, 5, 7	Cyber Defense Operations (Mission Defense Activities)	1	1	1	0
1D7X1P	1AN	3, 5, 7, 9	Cyber Defense Operations (Data Operations)	7	7	5	3
1D7X1Q	1AM	3, 5, 7	Cyber Defense Operations (Enterprise Operations)	1	1	1	0
1D7X1Q	1AS	3, 5, 7	Cyber Defense Operations (Enterprise Operations)	2	2	2	0
1D7X1W	1AS	3, 5, 7	Cyber Defense Operations (Expeditionary Communications)	2	2	2	0
1D7X1W	1AM or 1AP	3, 5, 7	Cyber Defense Operations – (Expeditionary Communications)	1	1	1	0
1D7X3C		3, 5	Cable and Antenna Defense Operations – Cable and Antenna Operations	3	0	0	0
1H0X1		7, 9, or 1H000	Aerospace Physiology	0	0	2	2
1N2X1A		3, 5	Signals Intelligence (Electronic Non-Communications Analyst)	2	0	0	0
1N3X1G		3, 5, 7	Cryptologic Language Analyst (Chinese)	3.5	3	2	0
1N3X1I		3, 5, 7	Cryptologic Language Analyst (Russian)	3.5	3	2	0
1N3X1K		3, 5	Cryptologic Language Analyst (Persian)	3	0	0	0
1N4X1A		3, 5, 7	Cyber Intelligence (Analysis)	2	2	2	0
1N8X1		3, 5, 7	Targeting Analyst	3	4	2	0
1P0X1A		3, 5	Aircrew Flight Equipment (Ejection Seat Aircraft)	2	0	0	0
1P0X1B		3, 5	Aircrew Flight Equipment (Non-Ejection Seat Aircraft)	2	0	0	0
1T0X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 1T000	Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape	7	7	5	3
1Z1X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 1Z100	Pararescue	7	7	5	3
1Z2X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 1Z200	Combat control	7	7	5	3
1Z3X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 1Z300	TACP	7	7	5	3
1Z4X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 1Z400	Special Reconaissance	7	7	5	3
2A373		7	Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Craftsman	0	3	0	0
2A375		7	Advanced Fighter Aircraft Integrated Avionics Craftsman	0	2	2	0
2A377		7	Tactical Aircraft Maintenance (5th Generation) Craftsman	0	1	2	0
2A378		7	Remotely Piloted Aircraft Maintenance Craftsman	0	3	3	0
2A3X8A		3, 5	Remotely Piloted Aircraft Maintenance (MQ-1/MQ-9)	1	2	0	0
2A3X8B		3, 5	Remotely Piloted Aircraft Maintenance (RQ-4)	1	2	0	0
2A3X5B		3, 5	Advanced Fighter Aircraft Integrated Avionics (F-35)	2	2	0	0
2A3X5C		3, 5	Advanced Fighter Aircraft Integrated Avionics (MQ-1/MQ-9/RQ-4)	2	0	0	0
2A5X1A		3, 5	Airlift/Special Mission Aircraft Maintenance – C-20/C-21/C-22/C-37/C-40/E-4/VC-25)	4	0	0	0
2A574		7	Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance Craftsman	0	1	1	0
2A5X4C		3, 5	Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance – KC-46	3	3	0	0
2A5X4D		3, 5	Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance – B-52	0.5	1	0	0
2A5X4E		3, 5	Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance – B-1	0	2	0	0
2A5X4F		3, 5	Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance – B-2	2	1	0	0
2G0X1		5, 7, 9, or 2G000	Logistics Plans	0	1	2	1
2M090		9 or 2M000	Missile and Space System Maintenance	0	0	0	2
2M0X1X		3, 5, 7	Missile and Space System Electronic Maintenance	3	2	1	1
2M0X2		3, 5, 7	Missile and Space System Maintenance	3	2	1	1
2M0X3		3, 5, 7	Missile and Space Facilities	3	2	1	1
2W2X1		3, 5 , 7	Nuclear Weapons	4	4	3	0
3E5X1		3, 5	Engineering	1	1	0	0
3E8X1		3, 5, 7, 9, or 3E800	Explosive Ordnance Disposal	5	4.5	4	3
3F371		7	Manpower	0	0	3	0
3P0X1A		3, 5	Security Forces (Military Working Dog Handler)	2	1	0	0
3P0X1B		3, 5, 7	Security Forces (Combat Arms)	1	1	1	0
4C0X1		3, 5, 7	Mental Health Service	2	1	1	0
4H0X1		3, 5, 7	Respiratory Care Practitioner	2	1	1	0
4J0X2		3, 5	Physical Medicine	0	2	0	0
4J0X2A		5, 7	Physical Medicine (Orthotic)	0	4	5	0
4N0X1C		5, 7	Aerospace Medical Service (Independent Duty Medical Technician)	0	2	2	0
4N0X1D		3, 5, 7	Aerospace Medical Service (Allergy/Immunization Technician)	1	1	1	0
4N0X1F		3, 5, 7	Aerospace Medical Service (Flight and Operational Medicine)	1.5	1.5	1	0
4N0X1G		5, 7	Aerospace Medical Service (Aeromedical Evacuation)	0	3.5	3.5	0
4N0X1H		5, 7	Aerospace Medical Service (National Registry Paramedic)	0	4	2	0
4N1X1B		5, 7	Surgical Technologist (Urology)	0	1	1	0
4N1X1C		3, 5	Surgical Technologist (Orthopedics)	1	0	0	0
4N1X1D		3, 5	Surgical Technologist (Otorhinolaryngology)	2	0	2	0
4P0X1		3, 5	Pharmacy	3	0	0	0
4R0X1A		3, 5	Diagnostic Imaging (Nuclear medicine)	0	2	0	0
4R0X1C		3, 5	Diagnostic Imaging – MRI	0	2	0	0
4V0X1S		5, 7	Ophthalmic	0	3	3	0
4Y0X1H		5, 7, 9	Dental hygienist	0	1	1	1
5R0X1		7, 9, 5R000	Religious Affairs	0	0	0	2

PHOTOS: B-1 Bombers Deploy to the Pacific as China Drills Around Taiwan

May 24, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

B-1 Lancer bombers are on a bomber task force mission to Guam amid high tensions in the region, Pacific Air Forces announced on May 23.

There has been heavy military activity in the Pacific following the May 20 inauguration of Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, who favors the island’s independence from Beijing. China carried out military drills in response.

Bomber task force missions are planned months in advance, so the deployment does not indicate a direct U.S. show of force aimed at China. The Air Force said the mission is “routine,” a term commonly used to describe the BTFs, and did not provide details of what the B-1s planned to do during their deployment.

The B-1s are from Air Force Global Strike Command’s 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and are operating out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. It is the second bomber task force mission to the Pacific this month, following a B-52 BTF just a few weeks ago. It is also the second bomber task force currently underway. Two B-52s from a four-aircraft BTF operating out of RAF Fairford, U.K., flew a mission to practice coordination with the Swedish Navy on May 24.

“Members from the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron will integrate and train with Allies, partners, and the Joint Force to enhance readiness and reinforce the rules-based international order in the Pacific,” Pacific Air Forces said in its release, which did not say how many B-1s are part of the BTF.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Colter Taylor, 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron dedicated crew chief, performs routine maintenance on a B-1B Lancer after its arrival at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in support of a bomber task force mission May 21, 2024. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen

China’s People’s Liberation Army has staged extensive military drills to protest Lai’s inauguration and practice an encirclement of Taiwan. On May 24, the PLA said the exercise was designed to practice the ability of China to “seize power” over the island.

“The Department remains confident in current U.S. force posture and operations in the Indo-Pacific region with our allies and partners to safeguard peace, stability, and our national security,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder said in a May 25 statement. “We have closely monitored joint military drills by the People’s Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan. We have communicated our concerns both publicly and directly.”

Between 6 a.m. local time on May 23 and 6 a.m. on May 25, 49 PLA aircraft, 19 PLA Navy ships, and seven Chinese Coast Guard vessels came close to Taiwanese territory, and 35 aircraft crossed the median line of Taiwan Strait, a de facto but informal border, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense said. Beijing considers the self-governing democratic Taiwan to be a breakaway province and has pledged its eventual unification with the mainland.

“As we can see we have set two exercise areas in the sea and airspace near the eastern part of the island, mainly to block the escape of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and break through their comfort zone,” a PLA officer said of the exercise, dubbed Joint Sword 2024, according to the BBC.

The Air Force release said that the B-1s “integrated with the U.S. Navy” prior to arriving in Guam, though it did not provide further details.

“When the 37th trains alongside allies and partners, we gain the opportunity to strengthen our bomber deterrence capabilities and demonstrate interoperability to collectively bolster our ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Lt. Col. Christian Hoover, the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer pilot assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, taxis on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 21, 2024, in support of a Bomber Task Force mission. Bomber missions enhance readiness, to include joint and multilateral, to respond to any potential crisis or challenge in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen)

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, taxi on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 21, 2024, in support of a Bomber Task Force mission. Bomber missions support national security objectives through the speed, flexibility, and readiness of our strategic bombers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen)

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, sits on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 21, 2024, in support of a Bomber Task Force mission. In order to provide a safe, secure, effective and ready strategic deterrent, United States Indo-Pacific Command forces must be ready to respond to regional threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen)

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, taxis on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 21, 2024, in support of a Bomber Task Force mission. The Department of Defense remains fully committed to defense and deterrence of any actors that would look to undermine or threaten our shared interests. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen)

A U.S. Air Force pilot from the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron exits a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 23, 2024, in support of a Bomber Task Force mission. BTF missions enable crews to maintain a high state of readiness and proficiency and validate our always-ready global strike capability. The U.S. routinely and visibly demonstrates commitment to our allies and partners through the global employment of our military forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dylan Maher)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Colter Taylor, 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, connects a tow bar after the arrival of two B-1B Lancers at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 21, 2024, in support of a Bomber Task Force mission. Bomber missions demonstrate lethality and interoperability in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen)

Aircrew from the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron off-load a B-1B Lancer at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 23, 2024, in support of a Bomber Task Force mission. BTF missions enable crews to maintain a high state of readiness and proficiency and validate our always-ready global strike capability. The U.S. routinely and visibly demonstrates commitment to our allies and partners through the global employment of our military forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dylan Maher)