Bird Strike Caused T-38 Crash, Investigators Say

July 27, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

A large bird struck the canopy of a T-38 and sent debris flying into the trainer jets’ engines, forcing the pilot to eject and the aircraft to crash last November, according to a new Air Force accident investigation report.

The mishap, which resulted in the complete destruction of the T-38, was unavoidable and the sole cause of the loss, investigators said.

The July 26 release of the accident report comes more than eight months after the Nov. 7 incident near Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. Eleven days later, another T-38 experienced an in-flight emergency, forcing the pilot to execute a “wheels-up” landing.

The Air Force has yet to release a report on the second incident.

According to the Accident Investigation Board, the Nov. 7 incident came during a routine instructor continuation training sortie, in which two T-38s flew with no student pilots aboard.

Planners recognized increased risk in the mission, given that it was the pilots’ second flight that day, they would fly lower to the ground, and there was a moderate risk of bird strikes, according to the report.

However, investigators noted that Columbus is “generally at bird watch condition moderate” and that mitigation measures were discussed during the preflight briefing. They also stated that “it is not uncommon for an instructor to fly twice in one day.”

Within five minutes of takeoff, as the planes were maneuvering into a line abreast formation at approximately 3,000 feet, one plane struck a “large bird,” the report states.

“The front canopy was basically open,” the pilot told investigators. “To me it looked like it was just, most of it was gone.”

A pair of T-38 Talon aircrafts prepare to take off July 15, 2020, on Columbus Air Force Base Miss. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jake Jacobsen

The jet’s flight data recorder showed the left engine dropping to zero revolutions per minute with a rise in exhaust gas temperature, indicative of a seizure. The right engine, meanwhile, was able to keep going at reduced power, indicating a compressor stall “when the engine does not have a proper distribution of airflow; the engine is still turning but will have a loss of thrust and therefore is not as effective as needed to sustain flight,” investigators stated.

The pilot quickly identified the incident as a bird strike and told the other T-38’s pilot they needed to make an emergency landing at a nearby airport. Within 90 seconds, however, the right engine started to fail as it exceeded temperature limits and failed to produce enough thrust. The pilot tried to recover the engine for 24 seconds, then punched out at 680 feet above ground level. By then, two minutes had passed since the bird strike.

The aircraft crashed some 20 miles away from Columbus, completely destroyed, a loss valued at $8.5 million. The pilot suffered minor injuries from the bird strike and was medically cleared within 24 hours.

Investigators at the crash scene recovered parts of the T-38 canopy, heavily damaged and with small amounts of bird remains on it. They inspected the engines and discovered heavily damaged compressor blades in both, with “white granular material” in one that was consistent with the acrylic canopy. No bird remains were found in either engine.

The report’s conclusion states that the pilot “could not have avoided the bird” and acted as an experienced pilot should in an emergency. The report also concluded that “the Columbus AFB Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard Program and its execution by the tower, operations supervision, and pilots were satisfactory.”

Boeing Resumes KC-46 Deliveries, But Supply Chain Problems Persist

July 26, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Boeing has resumed deliveries of KC-46 tankers after a prolonged halt due to quality problems with fuel tanks, company president and chief executive officer David Calhoun said July 26 during a second quarter earnings call.

Yet company officials said supply chain problems continue to afflict Boeing programs, particularly defense-oriented ones, and full recovery will take some time.

“On the tanker, we have now completed rework on the production aircraft requiring it, and we have resumed deliveries to the Air Force,” Calhoun said.

Boeing first notified the Defense Contract Management Agency in January that there had been a process problem with KC-46 center wing fuel tanks, built by Triumph Aerostructures. The tank interiors had not been properly cleaned before being primed and delivered to Boeing. There was a possibility that the paint could flake off and clog fuel lines to the engines. The issue also affects the 767 freighter, on which the KC-46 is based.

At the time, Boeing determined there was no safety of flight issue, but deliveries of the jet were halted in March pending rework. The Air Force had only accepted one of 15 KC-46s planned for delivery this year before the problem emerged, and has taken none since. The service agreed with Boeing in January that there was no immediate risk to flight crews. Fuel filters installed in the jet are capable of detecting and catching paint flakes, and flight crews were instructed to watch for readings that would indicate paint flakes being caught in the filters.

An Air Force spokesperson was not immediately able to confirm that Boeing had resumed deliveries of the tanker, but the next two aircraft are slated to go to Travis Air Force Base, Calif. Boeing officials did not say whether they will be able to deliver the remaining 14 tankers required by the end of the year. Aviation Week reported July 13 that Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Mike Minihan said the delivery goal would be met.

Boeing officials also did not discuss progress on development and testing of the KC-46’s Remote Viewing System 2.0, which is supposed to conclude by the end of 2025. That effort calls for a complete changeout of the boom operator station behind the KC-46 cockpit, as well as the cameras used to provide the boom operator with three-dimensional views of the refueling operations at the tail of the airplane.

Despite the delay in deliveries, Boeing did not report any losses in the quarter on the KC-46, leaving the company’s total losses at a little more than $7 billion on the fixed-price program.

However, Boeing did record losses on three other fixed-price defense projects: the T-7A Advanced Trainer, at $189 million; the Navy’s MQ-25 refueling drone, at $68 million, and NASA’s commercial space crew transport, the Starliner, at $257 million.

“The T-7A impact was not due to any performance challenge within the quarter, [but] was more associated with our estimates for higher supply chain and production costs in the future,” Calhoun said. He noted, though, that “even with the cost growth, we’re hitting some key milestones on the program. The Air Force successfully completed its first flight of the T-7 [and] we’re heading toward the start of flight test in earnest.”

The Air Force conducted the first test flight of the T-7A with a USAF pilot on June 28. Four more production-representative airplanes are slated to comprise the test fleet, but the Government Accountability Office has warned that the service and Boeing have not finalized what the aircraft are to include ahead of low-rate and full-rate production, and this could lead to misunderstandings later.

Calhoun said Boeing is working through problems on its defense programs and has confidence after hitting milestones. He also claimed that the programs affected “will meet or beat the high performance standards of the warfighter.”

‘Given the fixed-price nature of some of our contracts, we’re very transparent about the financial impacts and we’re working to stabilize, to de-risk and mature them through development,” he added.

Expressing confidence in Boeing’s defense business, Calhoun also noted that analysis indicates a demand for 42,000 aircraft through 2043, “and with demand strong, the supply side of the system is beginning to settle down.”

There are still supply chain issues, however. Brian West, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said “we continue to see operational impacts from labor instability and supply chain disruption and other programs that contributed to lower margins.” For the defense-side of the business in particular, West said the company is “focused on the path to high single digit margins in 2025, 2026.”

Calhoun said his workers and vendors are “still in an extremely supply-constrained world, everything they do is supply constrained. … My prediction is it’s going to be quite a while” before the situation changes.

“Everybody’s fighting for the next part,” he said. “I think that’s just this moment we’re in.”

SPACECOM Nominee Wants More Commercial Tech

July 26, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

U.S. Space Command should work with and buy from commercial industry as much as possible, said Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting during a July 26 hearing on his nomination to become SPACECOM’s commander .

“Partnering with commercial entities enables [SPACECOM] to adapt faster, innovate more reliably, integrate cutting-edge technology on an accelerated timeline, bolster space architecture resilience, develop a better understanding of the space domain, expedite decision making, and devise economical solutions to strategic problems,” Whiting wrote in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

During the hearing, Whiting highlighted in particular his experience at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., working with the Commercial Integration Cell that is underneath SPACECOM.

“We brought in the 10 companies that we contract with the most for capability through the Department of Defense,” Whiting said. “And in that cell, we share intelligence at the highest level, we get insights into what’s happening in their constellations. Because we believe if we all have that insight, we operate better together. So that’s just one example of the ways that if confirmed, I would want to continue to drive our ability to leverage American industry because of the advantages it brings forth.”

SPACECOM has already announced plans to expand the cell to include more contractors, highlighting the explosive growth of the modern space industry.Whiting said he wants to encourage growth through a “buy first” mindset in which the Pentagon seeks leverage commercial technology before considering developing capabilities from scratch.

“At all times, we will encourage the Services and other acquisition organizations to first look to buy existing commercial capabilities when it can meet our requirements, then look to exploit available commercial technologies for military purposes, and finally, to build military-unique systems only when required,” Whiting wrote in his testimony.

Whiting’s comments align with what Space Systems Command and the Space Development Agency leaders have pushed for, and Whiting endorsed SDA’s approach in response to written questions about whether the agency should continue to acquire and rapidly field satellites.

In addition to buying commercial technology, Whiting also said he wants to work with industry to take advantage of existing space capabilities already have in orbit, such as sensors and communications capacity.

Separately, Space Systems Command released a draft framework on July 25 to formalize how commercial space capabilities might be leveraged in a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve. Similar to the Air Force’s Civil Reserve Air Fleet, this industrial capability would supplement military capabilities in time of war. The document details different levels of conflict and how the U.S. government might be able to utilize commercial satellite constellations in a crisis, even to the point of taking over exclusive access to those satellites. Commercial partners would also provide some level of capability in peacetime and benefit from “improved info and threat-sharing.”

The blurring of distinction between military and civilian uses could have long-term implications in terms of what constitutes civilian vs. military targets. The framework notes the potential for government-backed “war risk insurance” for companies whose satellites are used in conflicts—highlighting the risk that adversaries could harm those satellites with counterspace weapons.

Whiting demurred when pressed by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) on whether an attack on U.S. commercial satellites constitutes an act of war. That’s a policy question, he said, but he added that SPACECOM is required to have options at hand to defend commercial space capabilities. It’s important for government and private industry to work together to minimize risk, he said.

“We must continue to partner with those companies, so that they look to build resilience into their systems,” Whiting continued. “and then partner with them, that if we do need to actively defend them, we have the communication avenues open to be able to do so.”

F-35s Arrive in CENTCOM Amid Threats from Russia, Iran

July 26, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

A dozen U.S. Air Force F-35s have arrived in the Middle East to beef up U.S. Central Command’s airpower in the region and deter Iran from seizing oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, the service announced July 26.

The deployment of the aircraft also comes as Russian fighters have stepped up their harassment of U.S. aircraft over Syria.

“The F-35’s increased capacity and capability will allow the U.S. to fly in contested airspace across the theater if required,” Air Forces Central (AFCENT) spokesman Col. Mike Andrews said in a statement.

The F-35 deployment was first announced last week by the Pentagon as part of a package of forces heading to the region, including a destroyer and the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship with U.S. Marines after Iran attempted to seize commercial vessels near its waters earlier this month.

Since then, U.S. forces have had yet more run-ins with Russians over the skies of Syria. On July 23, a Russian Su-35 fighter unleashed flares that damaged a propeller blade on an American MQ-9 drone. The episode was similar to one in March when a Russian fighter crashed into a U.S. MQ-9 over the Black Sea, forcing U.S. operators to down the Reaper in the sea, according to the Pentagon. On July 26, another Russian fighter damaged an American drone over Syria with flares, U.S. officials said. The Associated Press first reported the July 26 incident.

A U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Russian fighter was intentionally trying to damage the U.S. MQ-9 on July 23.

There have been other confrontations over Syria as well. Earlier in the month, a Russian fighter flew near a U.S. turboprop MC-12, endangering the lives of the four crew members when the plane was caught in the fighter’s jet wash, according to AFCENT commander Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich.

Russia also flew a surveillance plane of its own, an An-30, over the U.S. military’s Al Tanf garrison in eastern Syria for a prolonged period earlier this month. The U.S. did not have a fighter presence up over base at that time. The F-35s will aid the Air Force’s ability to respond to threats throughout the region, U.S. officials said.

The F-35 deployment consists of a squadron of stealthy multirole fighters from the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah. There are now four fighter squadrons in CENTCOM: two F-16 squadrons, one A-10 squadron, and one F-35 squadron.

“This deployment demonstrates the U.S.’s commitment to ensure peace and security in the region, through maritime support and support to the coalition’s enduring mission to defeat ISIS in Syria,” Andrews said.

Air Forces Central declined to say which locations the F-35s are operating from or discuss the length of the deployment, citing “host nation requests” and operational security.

Over Syria, the F-35s could aid the USAF by conducting defensive counter-air missions or combat air patrols.

The U.S. has roughly 900 troops in Syria and partners with Kurdish groups to defeat the remnants of ISIS. U.S. aircraft support the effort by providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, force protection, and airstrikes, including one by an MQ-9 on July 7 that killed an ISIS leader in western Syria as he was riding on his motorcycle.

Russia is in Syria supporting the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.

In recent months, however, MQ-9s operating against ISIS have been harassed by Russian aircraft, even though ISIS is ostensibly a common foe. In November 2022, a Russian-controlled surface-to-air missile fired at a U.S. drone, in addition to the most recent incidents.

U.S. officials have charged that recent Russian aerial actions over Syria complicate the fight against ISIS.

“We do not seek escalation; we do not seek war with Russia,” deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters July 25. “But there’s no excuse for Russian forces’ continual harassment of our MQ-9s, especially after years of operating within the region and after years of also being very clear on what our goals are, which is the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

Meanwhile, Iran has stepped up its attempts to seize oil tankers as they transit the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic choke point between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.

That prompted the Pentagon to add F-16s to the A-10s that were originally aiding the U.S. Navy in patrolling the skies over the Gulf.

“In coordination with our regional allies, partners, and the U.S. Navy, the F-35s will partner with A-10s and F-16s already in theater helping monitor the Strait of Hormuz,” Andrews said.

On July 23, Iran said it was commencing an annual air force drill. State media said more than 90 fighters, bombers, and drones were participating in the exercise, called “Devotees of the Supreme Leader-11.” One U.S. official described coordination between Iran and Russia in the region as “covert.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated with details of a July 26 incident between Russian and American aircraft.

Your Next CSAF: Allvin Chosen to Succeed Brown as Chief

July 26, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

President Joe Biden has nominated Gen. David W. Allvin to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff.

If confirmed, Allvin, currently Vice Chief of Staff, would succeed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., whose nomination to become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has cleared the Senate Armed Services Committee but still awaits confirmation by the full Senate.

Allvin has been the front-runner for the job for months. His nomination was first published in the Congressional Record, then confirmed by the White House in an announcement July 26.

“I am honored and privileged to be nominated as the next Chief of Staff of the Air Force,” Allvin said in a statement. “If confirmed, I will continue the tradition and legacy of integrity, service and excellence that this position requires. Gina and I are humbled to serve our Air Force, our Airmen and their families.”

A career mobility and test pilot with an extensive operational and staff background, Allvin maintained a low profile for most of his tenure as the vice, but began taking a more public role at the start of the year, laying the groundwork for him to become the face of the force.

Allvin, the 40th Vice Chief of Staff, would be the 10th vice chief to become Chief of Staff and the third in the past 20 years, following Gen. David Goldfein, Chief No. 21, and Gen. T. Michael Moseley, No. 18. He would be only the second Chief, and the first since Gen. Norton A. Schwartz (No. 19), to have been neither a fighter nor bomber pilot.

As an Air Staff leader, Allvin was a visionary who helped to craft the joint force operating concepts advanced by three successive chiefs: Gen. Mark Welsh, No. 20, along with Goldfein and Brown. He helped write “America’s Air Force: A Call to the Future” in 2014 and the “Air Force Future Operating Concept” in 2015, both critical precursors to what would become Goldfein’s vision for multi-domain operations and, ultimately, what is now known throughout the services as Joint All-Domain Command and Control.

More recently, he has been a leading voice tackling the service’s challenges with recruiting and retention.

“Gen. Dave Allvin is the right leader for this defining decade, as our Air Force continues to adapt to the evolving global security environment, and ensure we have the culture, concepts and capabilities needed to compete and win in a highly-contested environment,” Brown said in a statement. “His expertise in strategy and planning will be crucial to the service’s success in this era of sustained strength and deterrence.”

Assuming he is confirmed, Allvin should find many familiar faces among his fellow Joint Chiefs, joining several fellow vice chiefs who fleeted up: Army Gen. Randy George (nominated to be the next Army chief), Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti (nominated to be the next Chief of Naval Operations), and Gen. Eric Smith (nominated to be the next Commandant of the Marine Corps). All four served on the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, and all four are expected to be confirmed as service chiefs.

However, Allvin’s and the other vice chief nominations are in limbo—along with hundreds of other general officer nominations. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) continues his legislative hold on all general and flag officer nominations, which he began on March 8. That hold has prevented the Senate from approving those nominations at once by voice vote. Tuberville’s hold is in protest of a Pentagon policy to provide paid leave and travel funds for troops and family members who seek reproductive services, such as abortions, that are not available where they are based. The policy was created to ensure equal access to those services in the wake of Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

While Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Tuberville have spoken several times in the past few weeks, there has been no progress in resolving the issue. In the meantime, more than 250 nominations remain stalled.

The Senate could hold roll-call votes on individual nominees, but the Democrats in the majority have declined to do so, saying it would take months of floor time to vote on all of them individually and would encourage further blockades by other lawmakers unhappy over policy matters.

Right now, the Senate is focused on passing the annual National Defense Authorization Act before lawmakers leave Washington D.C. for the August recess. Assuming Tuberville’s concerns are not resolved through the bill, all the nominations will remain pending until at least September.

RTX Expects Even More Demand in the Next Year to Replenish Missiles Sent to Ukraine

July 25, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

RTX, maker of the Patriot, AMRAAM, Sidewinder, Javelin, Stinger, and other missiles featuring significantly in the war in Ukraine—and in the defense preparations of neighboring NATO countries—has logged about $2 billion in replenishment orders as a result of the conflict and expects to top that figure in the coming year, chief executive officer Greg Hayes said in a July 25 earnings call.

Separately, President Joe Biden’s administration on July 25 announced yet another drawdown of weapons from U.S. stocks to be provided to Ukraine worth $400 million, including many of those same systems Hayes referenced.

Hayes said the company—until recently known as Raytheon Technologies—is “so bullish” on defense systems sales “for the next couple of years” because it has logged large orders for AIM-120 AMRAAM and other missiles, and that all 18 countries using the Patriot air defense system are or will be ordering new Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) rounds for their Patriot launchers.

“We have orders coming from NATO,” he said. “I think in the back half of the year … we’re planning on significant order intake on both AMRAAM and GEM-T, as well as, of course, Excalibur,” which is a guided, extended-range artillery shell. “We got the Javelin order [and] we had the Stinger order already,” Hayes noted. “Those orders will continue to grow.”

“Right now, we still have only seen $2 billion of orders associated specifically with Ukraine replenishment,” Hayes said. “We think there’s probably another $2.5 billion coming in the next 12 months, associated with just the Ukraine replenishment, on top of the GEM-Ts.”

AMRAAM sales through the Air Force channel of the Foreign Military Sales program have been $1.2 billion this year so far, with German and Ukrainian orders in that package, Hayes noted.

Company officials also pointed to $265 million in orders for the Javelin anti-tank missile and $251 million in orders for the AIM-9X Sidewinder dogfight missile.

Chief financial officer Neil Mitchell said Raytheon booked $1.1 billion in classified awards in the second quarter but also reported “headwinds” on several classified programs amounting to “$40-$50 million” in the Raytheon Intelligence and Space business, “and that happened just as we closed out the quarter.” He could not describe the affected programs, but said they are “in the test phase” and that the company is “learning through that phase,” which has “a bit longer to go.”

Hayes, meanwhile, noted that the House and Senate were supportive of major RTX programs while marking up the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, including hypersonics, the nuclear Long-Range Stand-Off missile, and the Pratt & Whitney unit’s F135 engine upgrades.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in announcing the latest defense assistance to Ukraine, said the package includes “air defense munitions, artillery rounds, armored vehicles, and anti-armor capabilities, as well as other equipment essential to strengthening Ukraine’s brave forces on the battlefield, helping them retake Ukraine’s sovereign territory, and defend their fellow citizens.”

According to the Pentagon, the lasts package specifically includes:

Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)

Stinger anti-aircraft systems

Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)

155mm and 105mm artillery rounds

120mm and 60mm mortar rounds

32 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers

Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles

Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets

Hornet Unmanned Aerial Systems

Hydra-70 aircraft rockets

Tactical air navigation systems

Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing

Over 28 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades

Night vision devices and thermal imagery systems

Spare parts, training munitions, and other field equipment

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the military services are fully consulted on what is provided in these “excess” materiel packages provided to Ukraine and can “weigh in on what they have available on their shelves.” The U.S. will always “maintain a level of our readiness, while also being able to support Ukraine” and will “continue to assess what we can flow to them without dropping below our own readiness level.”

How US, UK, and Australia Aim to Cut Costs, Speed Delivery of E-7 Wedgetail

July 25, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The U.S., United Kingdom, and Australia agreed to “generate, operate, and sustain a fleet of interoperable E-7 aircraft,” according to a document signed by each countries’ air chiefs and released to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The trio of air forces want to share costs, minimize duplicative efforts and differences in design, and “accelerate E-7 capability delivery,” a vital need as aging U.S. AWACS aircraft become fewer in number and harder to sustain.

The E-7 Wedgetail Joint Vision Statement, announced on July 17, was not immediately released to the public. But the full text of the agreement signed by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Royal Air Force Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, and Royal Australian Air Force Chief Air Marshal Robert Chipman was provided to Air & Space Forces Magazine July 25.

The statement does not formally commit the partners to specific plans or objectives, but it demonstrates how closely the three nations plan to work together to develop and deploy the next-generation airborne early warning and control aircraft.

Australia already has six E-7 Wedgetails, and both the U.S. and U.K. plan their own acquisitions. The RAF plans to buy three Wedgetails and reach initial operational capability in 2024; USAF projects a fleet of 26 aircraft, with first delivery in 2027.

Partnering should benefit everything from “capability development, evaluation and testing, interoperability, sustainment, operations, training, and safety.” Specifically, each air force has its own needs:

RAF: Simplify the Wedgetail’s entry into service for the RAF

USAF: Accelerate development, testing, and fielding

RAAF: Accelerate upgrades

The partners will “engage in joint discussions to identify and develop future opportunities for cost sharing, minimize duplicative efforts, cooperate on technical maturation, enhance interoperability, accelerate E-7 capability delivery, and align sustainment where there is a shared need.”

Saving money is of prime concern to Britain. The U.K. Defence Committee in Parliament complained two weeks ago that the E-7 represents “extremely poor value.” After the RAF cut its planned buy from five to three Wedgetails, the service remained liable to pay for five Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radars, greatly reducing its savings. All told, the program’s projected cost is £1.89 billion ($2.5 billion), compared to the original plan of £2.1 billion ($2.7 billion).

The U.S., meanwhile, is most concerned about time. The Air Force is retiring its AWACS fleet quickly, potentially leaving a gap in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and target indication. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall met with U.K. Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey in February, discussing ways to accelerate procurement and fielding. USAF’s unfunded priorities list included more than $600 million for advance procurement to speed up the process, and lawmakers in Congress have repeatedly pressed for faster procurement.

Reducing duplicative efforts could save money and time, and follows on previous suggestions that the countries share testing data. That’s one reason standardization across the fleets is important. The Joint Vision Statement states that the three countries “recognize a joint desire to maintain similar configurations.”

The partners also agreed to “leverage existing international cooperative agreements, or jointly develop new arrangements that further enable this vision.” While not mentioned by name, the so-called “AUKUS” defense technology-sharing agreement between the U.S., U.K., and Australia could be one such agreement that can be leveraged to further enhance E-7 cooperation.

Bones, BUFFs, and B-2s: All Three Bomber Types Fly in Alaska Exercise

July 25, 2023 | By David Roza

All three Air Force bomber types—the B-1 Lancer, the B-2 Spirit, and the B-52 Stratofortress—gathered in Alaska from July 18-19 to practice operating from an unfamiliar airfield, a rare assembly of the trio of different aircraft and a demonstration of flexible deployment for America’s heavy-hitters.

For the B-2 in particular, the occasion also marked the first major exercise for the aircraft since a six-month, fleet-wide safety pause was lifted in May following a mishap in December.

“The concerted effort by all the bomber Airmen is a testament to the flexibility and agility of the force to operate in unfamiliar environments,” Justin Oakes, the director of public affairs for the Eighth Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The bombers operated from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)—the B-1s came from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; the B-2s from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.; and the B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, N.D. JBER, which does not host bomber units, functioned as “a notional forward operating base” for the bomber units, a service release stated.

Operating from unfamiliar or austere airfields is a central tenet of Agile Combat Employment, the Air Force’s operating concept in which Airmen and aircraft disperse from a central base to smaller, more austere locations in order to complicate an adversary’s targeting.

“The ability to perform training and integration exercises at a location that does not traditionally host bombers is what defines this exercise as an Agile Combat Employment mission,” Oakes said in an email.

Once gathered at JBER, the bombers practiced “fighter integration, strategic communications, and targeting exercises performed by the bombers,” he added.

b-52 — A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 69th Bomb Squadron from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, taxis down the runway at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 16, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Wright

The Alaska mission marks the latest entry in a busy calendar for Air Force bombers. While the B-2 was grounded, B-52 or B-1 task forces visited Guam, Indonesia, Japan, Sweden, the Middle East, and other locations around the world, often in a demonstration of the bombers’ long reach.

“As a force provider, how we deliver bomber airpower has a definite strategic impact to all operations across the spectrum of conflict,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew Gebara, commander of the 8th Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, in the press release about the JBER mission. Gerbera was on-site to observe the bombers arriving there.

“The bombers seen here today are proof of our reach and flexibility as they arrived from different areas of responsibility to a location we do not routinely occupy,” he said.

The exercise marks the most public appearance of the B-2 following its six-month safety pause. When the pause ended in late May, the Air Force did not reveal the exact cause of the December mishap, nor what actions allowed the aircraft to fly again. The B-2 is America’s only stealth nuclear-capable bomber in service.

“The B-2 fleet could still fly missions if so required,” Gebara said in May. “Our ability to provide nuclear deterrence never stopped.”

B-2 pilots spent time during the safety pause in the advanced simulators at Whiteman and increased repetitions in T-38 trainers. Only 21 B-2s were produced, costing over $1 billion per plane, according to the Air Force. One was destroyed in a crash in 2008.

Now that the B-2 is flying exercises again, Air Force officials hope allies and partners take notice of the tri-bomber gathering.

“Pacific Air Forces routinely exercises the ACE concept to ensure we can move forces fluidly across theaters of operations,” Gen. Ken Wilsbach, commander of the Pacific Air Forces, said in the press release. “To enhance that capability within our bomber force is crucial to ensuring we can provide a credible, effective deterrent and respond to any crisis across the globe.”

All three kinds of Air Force bombers gathered for a flyover of Super Bowl LV in 2021, an event that took months of coordination to pull off. The trio also flew together over Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of an exercise in the Indo-Pacific in 2016.

A B-1B Lancer sits on the runway at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, in support of a bomber Agile Combat Employment exercise, July 18, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Wright

Russian Fighter Damages Another US Drone, This Time Over Syria

July 25, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

A Russian fighter damaged a U.S. drone over Syria earlier this week, the top Air Force commander for the region said July 25, in the latest escalation between American and Russian aircraft.

“Russian fighter aircraft flew dangerously close to a U.S. MQ-9 drone on a defeat-ISIS mission, harassing the MQ-9 and deploying flares from a position directly overhead, with only a few meters of separation between aircraft,” Air Forces Central (AFCENT) commander Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich said in a statement.

“One of the Russian flares struck the U.S. MQ-9, severely damaging its propeller,” according to Grynkewich. “Fortunately, the MQ-9 crew was able to maintain flight and safely recover the aircraft to its home base.”

The incident took place at approximately 7:23 am Syria time on July 23. The U.S. declassified video of the incident two days later. The incident involved a single Russian Su-35 fighter, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

This latest incident follows a pattern of close calls in the past month over Syria, where Russian and American planes both operate. It is also the first time one aircraft has inflicted damage on another since a Russian Su-27 clipped the propeller of an MQ-9 over the Black Sea in March. Unable to operate the drone safely, U.S. operators downed it in the sea.

On July 23 Russian military aircraft deployed flares, damaging a U.S. MQ-9 while conducting a defeat-ISIS mission. For the full statement by Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, Commander, 9th AF (AFCENT) visithttps://t.co/5cQm8MQ6aQ @CENTCOM @DeptofDefense @usairforce @CJTFOIR pic.twitter.com/ViVTI3P05i
— US AFCENT (@USAFCENT) July 25, 2023

Over Syria, U.S. MQ-9s regularly assist anti-ISIS missions. In recent months, however, they have been harassed by Russian aircraft, even though ISIS is ostensibly a common foe. In November 2022, a Russian-controlled surface-to-air missile fired at a U.S. drone, and a steady stream of incidents has followed since.

Russian aircraft have regularly overflown U.S. troops in eastern Syria since March 1, and come close to manned American aircraft, flying within 500 feet, actions Grynkewich has repeatedly called out as “unsafe and unprofessional.”

On July 16, a U.S. MC-12 Liberty, a small turboprop surveillance plane, was caught in the jet wash of a Russian fighter. Grynkewich said the incident put the four MC-12 crew members’ lives at risk.

The U.S. has roughly 900 troops in Syria and partners with Kurdish groups to defeat the remnants of ISIS. U.S. aircraft support the effort by providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, force protection, and airstrikes. Russia is in Syria supporting the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.

“Russian unsafe and unprofessional behavior in the air not only degrades our Defeat ISIS mission, it risks unintended escalation and miscalculation,” Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, said in a July 25 statement.

Russian fighter damages MQ-9 Reaper over Syria — The propeller of an MQ-9 Reaper Drone, damaged by a flare from a Russian fighter during a defeat-ISIS mission in Syria July 23, 2023. Courtesy photo/Air Forces Central

Elsewhere in the region, the U.S. is rushing military forces to the Arabian Gulf, where Iran has grown more brazen in seizing oil tankers as they transit the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic choke point between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.

U.S. officials have warned of an increasingly close defense partnership between Iran and Russia. F-35s, the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, and Marines are joining A-10, F-16s, and U.S. ships in an attempt to deter Iran.

For now, the Pentagon does have “any indication that says that this is a coordinated effort between Russia and Iran,” according to deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh.

“We do not seek escalation; we do not seek war with Russia,” Singh told reporters July 25. “But there’s no excuse for Russian forces’ continual harassment of our MQ-9s, especially after years of operating within the region and after years of also being very clear on what our goals are, which is the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

Singh said increased U.S. assets moving into CENTCOM were “specifically to address what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz” and not Russia’s aerial maneuvers in Syria.

While that remains the case, “it is at the commander’s discretion if he feels that these assets need to be moved or need to be used in a different way in a different part of the region,” Singh added.

A senior U.S. defense official previously told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the F-35s could be used near the Strait of Hormuz if the airspace became contested, as well as over Syria if Russia presented a more significant threat. F-22 Raptors were deployed to the region in June but were scheduled to depart.

“Having that fifth-gen capability up in Syria doing defensive counterair gives us more capacity up there,” the senior U.S. defense official said. “It’s effective against some of those Russian provocations that we’ve previously countered with the F-22.”

In a video released by Air Forces Central, the Russian fighter that harassed the MQ-9 on July 23 was painted with the Russian military’s signature “Z” symbol, first used by units involved in the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Washington did not reply to a request for comment on the latest incident.

“The Russian fighter’s blatant disregard for flight safety detracts from our mission to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Grynkewich said. “We call upon the Russian forces in Syria to put an immediate end to this reckless, unprovoked, and unprofessional behavior.”