USAF Proposes Upgrades on Guam to Host Dozen Singaporean F-15s for Training

Jan. 3, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Andersen Air Force Base on Guam is preparing for potential infrastructure upgrades to host up 12 Singaporean F-15 fighters, following a 2019 agreement between the two nations.

The proposal, as detailed in a December release, would see around 209 acres of Guam reshaped over the next three to seven years into developed sites or maintaining greenery post-construction. The upgraded site aims to provide training facilities for the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s F-15SG, Boeing’s advanced version of the F-15E Strike Eagle.

The Department of the Air Force release also noted that the facilities “could support … other DAF, service component, and partner nation aircraft or missions operating from Andersen AFB now or in the future.”

In terms of the Pentagon’s strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China, the proposal is mostly about building a relationship with the RSAF as a counterbalance to Chinese influence in Southeast Asia, J. Michael Dahm of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“Guam is the closest airbase where the USAF can build this bilateral training relationship and a level of interoperability with the RSAF, so if called upon in a crisis in East Asia, the Singapore Air Force and the U.S. Air Force can work together effectively,” Dahm said.

The U.S. and Singapore routinely interact through military exercises, and their air forces conducted their annual three-week air training in November 2023, involving fighters from both nations.

Singapore’s history of military training in Guam dates back to the 1990s. Putting F-15s at Andersen would mark the fourth RSAF detachment on U.S. soil—F-16s are at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., F-15s are at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and AH-64 Apache helicopters are in Marana, Ariz.

The Guam construction proposal is grounded in the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding for the RSAF Training Detachment in Guam. According to the MOU, Anderson will host RSAF F-16s and airborne early warning aircraft for training in the future as well.

Shifting training to Guam would benefit the RSAF by ensuring operational readiness and facilitating swift redeployment when necessary.

“Singapore has a modern, Western Air Force by all standards, but they don’t have vast terrains like China or the United States such as the Gulf of Alaska where the Air Force can do training,” Dahm said. “They also don’t have a peer air force they can train with on a regular basis.”

At Andersen, the RSAF would have access to American equipment and fighters, Western technology, maintenance, logistics, ammunition storage, and an opportunity to train alongside American Airmen—all. while remaining close to home, Dahm explained.

“Singapore fighters could train with the U.S. Air Force on the Indian Ocean side of the Strait of Malacca, or on the South China Sea side of the Strait of Malacca, when the USAF deploys to Singapore, Thailand, or other Southeast Asian nations.” Dahm said. But even then, the airspace around the Strait of Malacca is “some of the most crowded airspace in the world,” he added.

The Andersen proposal includes enhancements such as airfield pavements, a new hangar, maintenance buildings, fuel systems, fencing, roads, parking, and stormwater management. The Department of Air Force will evaluate the proposal’s environmental impact through an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in line with the National Environmental Policy Act. This includes consulting with resource agencies, conducting surveys, and assessing potential impacts. The Draft EIS is due in mid-2024, with the Final EIS and a decision expected in early to mid-2025.

Air Force Gives Raytheon $345 Million to Build 1,500+ New StormBreaker Guided Bombs

Jan. 3, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force awarded Raytheon, an RTX unit, a $345 million contract to build more than 1,500 Small Diameter Bomb II/GBU-53/B munitions—called “StormBreaker” by the company—for the Air Force, Navy, and Foreign Military Sales users, under the 10th production lot. The work is to be completed by August 2028.

The SDB II is a smart bomb with pop-out wings that can be carried on BRU-55 and BRU-61 multi-weapon racks and increase the loadout and targets struck per sortie by fighter aircraft. Certified for use on the Air Force F-15E and Navy F/A-18E/F and being integrated with the joint-service F-35, the weapon is planned to be fitted eventually for nearly all U.S. fixed-wing strike aircraft and bombers.

The munitions will be made primarily at Raytheon’s Tucson, Ariz., facilities. The contract also covers containers and training gear.

The Pentagon’s fiscal 2024 budget request asked for 920 SDB IIs for the Air Force, down from 1,214 in fiscal 2023 and 976 in fiscal 2022. The Air Force has also shifted from buying the bulk of its Small Diameter Bombs from the first iteration, made by Boeing, to the StormBreaker weapon made by Raytheon.

The total planned acquisition of StormBreaker, according to budget documents, is 21,610 for the Air Force and 5,800 for the Navy. The Jan. 3 contract also covers Foreign Military Sales to Finland, Germany, Italy, and Norway, collectively worth $2.1 million. The contract includes $101.4 million from the Air Force’s fiscal 2023 budget and $183.1 million for the fiscal 2024 budget.

Production of StormBreaker was paused in 2019 due to a parts quality issue. Raytheon retrofitted the weapons built to that point and production resumed in 2020.

Air Force budget documents say the service’s goals for the weapon in 2024 include a technology refresh to change out “obsolete seeker components.”

The 204-pound SDB II has a multimode seeker—including millimeter wave, imaging infrared, and a semi-active laser—with a 105-pound multimode shaped blast/fragmentation warhead. It has the ability to prioritize targets autonomously, and its GPS/INS guidance allows it to be retargeted after the weapon’s release.

Stormbreaker is described by the company as a “network-enabled” munition. Its wings provide a standoff glide capability of more than 45 miles, according to Raytheon, reducing the launch aircraft’s exposure to enemy defenses. The precision weapon can work in all weather or obscurants and can engage moving targets as well.

The F-15E can carry up to 28 SDB IIs by using seven BRU-61A racks, each with four weapons. With modifications, SDB II racks will be able to fit inside the F-22 and F-35. The weapon is 69 inches long. Raytheon reported that StormBreaker completed 28 test drops in 2023, across all user platforms.

The first operational use of the SDB II was with the 391st Fighter Squadron in 2021, which employed four of the weapons against moving ground vehicles at the Utah Test and Training Range in a Weapon Systems Evaluation Program (WSEP) test.

US, Allies Warn Houthis of ‘Consequences’ if Ship Attacks Continue

Jan. 3, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

The U.S. and its allies issued a firm warning to Houthi rebels in Yemen on Jan. 3, telling the group to stop attacks on shipping in the Red Sea or face “consequences.”

“The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways,” read a joint statement from the U.S. and 12 other countries.

As of Jan. 2, the Iran-backed Houthis have carried out 24 attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since Nov. 19, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The 25-person crew of one ship has been held captive since November.

The U.S. wanted to “very clearly send a warning to the Houthis,” a senior administration official told reporters on Jan. 3.

The Houthis have attacked commercial ships with drones, small boat raids, and missiles, including the “first time anti-ship ballistic missiles have been used anywhere, let alone against commercial ships,” according to the senior administration official.

The U.S. has defended against Houthi attacks with fighter jets and Navy missile defense systems. British and French ships have also shot down drones launched by the Houthis.

The U.S. military has prepared strike options against Houthis should the Biden administration decide to use force against targets in Yemen, according to U.S. officials.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has said the U.K. is “willing to take direct action” if attacks continue.

“I would not anticipate another warning” before the U.S. might take more forceful action, the U.S. senior administration official added.

The U.S. military has used force against the Houthis recently in self-defense. On Dec. 31, four small boats fired at U.S. Navy helicopters coming to the aid of a commercial vessel under attack. The helicopters fired back, killing members of the group and sinking three of the boats, according to the senior administration official and CENTCOM. The Houthis said 10 of its members were killed in that incident. The senior administration official said the Houthis might have been trying to hijack the vessel or damage it in a suicide bombing.

“Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing,” the statement from the governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom warned. “Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews.”

An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council was held Jan. 3 to discuss the Houthi threat. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. spoke with his U.K. counterpart Adm. Sir Tony Radakin on Jan. 3 and “discussed the ongoing illegal Houthi attacks,” according a readout of the call from the Joint Staff.

“I think it demonstrates that the U.S., and its partners, are trying to operate in a responsible manner but that there is a limit to the behavior they are willing to accept,” retired Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, who commanded CENTCOM from 2016-2019, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The Houthis have launchers for missiles and drones, coastal radars, and weapons storage facilities that could be targeted should the U.S. or other nations decide to use force.

The U.S. launched a limited salvo of cruise missiles at three coastal radar sites in Yemen in 2016 in response to attacks on ships by the Houthis during Votel’s time as CENTCOM commander.

“The message is measured, as I would expect, but clearly highlights that there are consequences associated with continued attacks and that these nations will hold malign actors accountable,” said Votel, a distinguished senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. He added that the statement “highlights the importance of leveraging all forms of national power, in this case diplomatic and informational, to put pressure on the Houthis and their Iranian backers.”

Iran and the so-called Axis of Resistance of groups aligned with it have launched attacks in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But some U.S. officials and regional security experts say the Houthis are more unpredictable and hardline than other Iranian-backed groups.

Vessels are at particular risk near Yemen because they must use Bab el-Mandeb strait to cross between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a critical chokepoint.

“Nearly 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8 percent of global grain trade, 12 percent of seaborne-traded oil, and 8 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade,” the joint statement noted.

The U.S. launched the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian in December to help defend against Houthi attacks. American F/A-18 fighters from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier have shot down Houthi drones. At times, U.S. Air Force fighters have been active over the Red Sea, a senior U.S. defense official said. The U.S. has also been known to operate MQ-9 drones off the coast of Yemen, and the U.S. and U.K. have flown P-8 maritime surveillance planes in the region in the past.

“Especially when it comes to maritime domain awareness, airpower is always a significant contributor to that,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder said Dec. 21.

The Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea are connected by the Suez Canal, but commercial shippers have been forced to reroute their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope off the southern coast of Africa, causing significant delays and costs to the global economy.

“These attacks threaten innocent lives from all over the world and constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action,” the joint statement said. “We remain committed to the international rules-based order and are determined to hold malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.”

How the Air Force Can Avoid or Mitigate Another Personnel Funding Shortfall

Jan. 3, 2024 | By David Roza

It was the summer Permanent Change of Station (PCS) season, and the Air Force had run out of personnel funding, leaving about 27,000 people temporarily stranded overseas. Some Airmen and their families could not move back stateside until well after the start of the new school year.

“It will have an effect on recruiting patterns and retention,” an Air Force general said at the time. “It has implications for the morale of our force. And it constitutes one of the most significant challenges to face Air Force leaders[.]”

Though this story may sound like the personnel funding shortfall in July 2023, it actually took place in 1986 amid similar circumstances. Congress at the time wanted to reduce the federal deficit through budget cuts. Those cuts, combined with increased travel costs, per diem benefits, and higher-than-expected retention levels, left the Air Force short of cash for PCS moves. The funding issues continued in 1987, where the Air Force was short $478 million in military personnel appropriation (MPA).

“Reprogramming of other Air Force dollars into the MPA will be required to avoid actions with drastic mission and personnel implications,” Lt. Gen. Thomas Hickey, then-deputy chief of staff for personnel at Headquarters Air Force, wrote in a 1987 op-ed. “We have a significant funding problem that poses a challenge to Air Force leadership at every level.”

Fast-forward to July 2023, a time when inflation, higher-than-expected PCS costs and retention again left the Air Force short of personnel funding. The branch delayed some PCS moves and stopped awarding new bonuses, leaving many Airmen and their families in limbo. After a few weeks, The Air Force reinstated bonus programs and processed PCS orders when Congress finally approved the Pentagon’s request to reprogram personnel funds, but the experience anguished many families.

“Plans to sell or buy a house or car, enroll children in schools and daycares, transition jobs for spouses and partners, or deliver babies in known or planned locations evaporated under the PCS pause,” wrote RAND political scientist Kelly Atkinson in a July 31 commentary.

The pause was particularly disruptive for dual-military couples where one member was approved to move while their spouse was delayed, wrote Atkinson, an Air Force reservist. Dual-military couples or members facing increased financial hardship often had to seek exceptions to policy to resolve their situation.

“When policy creates situations where people are exceptions, and not included in policy, then that can have impacts on sense of belonging and sense of motivation for recruitment and retention,” Atkinson told Air & Space Forces Magazine, noting that her views do not necessarily represent those of the Air Force or the Department of Defense.

Personnel funding is a recurring issue in the Air Force, and the unpredictable nature of Congressional funding means that the Air Force cannot eliminate the possibility of a shortfall.

However, according to one group of experts, the Air Force can reduce the likelihood of a shortfall by more closely integrating policy owners, forecasting outcomes through the use of policy games, and measuring the effects of policy changes with better data.

When a shortfall does occur, the service must also improve its guidance to families to mitigate its impact, Atkinson said, “rather than leaving them with the burden of adjustment in complex circumstances.”

What Is MILPERS?

The Air Force military personnel (MILPERS) budget includes pay and allowances, health care and retirement pay accruals, PCS travel, and other funding that goes towards running people programs, RAND researchers explained in a 2023 report.

In fiscal 2021, the MILPERS budget was about $36 billion, more than 20 percent of the Air Force’s total $168 billion budget. Between 2000 and 2021, spending on active-duty personnel grew at an average rate of 3.3 percent a year, RAND found, faster than the overall economy’s price growth of 1.9 percent a year.

Pay raises mandated by Congress drive a large portion of MILPERS, RAND senior operations researcher and retired Air Force veteran Lisa Harrington told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Having a large MILPERS budget helps retain talent, but the tradeoff is that the Air Force does not have as much flexibility for modernizing and responding to operational demands.

Reducing MILPERS is a painful calculation where planners must either shrink the size of the force or cut the cost per Airman. Some levers include reducing or delaying accessions, accelerating people out of the service, slowing promotion rates, and shifting responsibilities from officers to enlisted Airmen. There is no “correct” solution, wrote RAND researchers, only tradeoffs between priorities.

“This is a crippling problem,” they wrote. “The workforce is the foundation for readiness, yet the [Department of the Air Force] … must maintain fiscal flexibility to meet other immediate and future needs.”

finance — U.S. Airman 1st Class Leonid Soubbotine, 23rd Wing Public Affairs specialist, fills out an in-processing sheet at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, June 21, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Whitney Gillespie)

Better Data, Better Integration

Part of the problem is a lack of data. For example, the Air Force often lacks accessible information on the impact of past bonuses or incentive pays on accessions and retention.

“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,” Harrington said. “We really do need to be capturing the decision space of the individual Airman in the work we do.”

Even with better data, service officials are not as closely integrated as they could be when it comes to forming personnel policies. For example, Harrington explained that there is an Air Force policy area which calculates special pays and bonuses in order to retain a certain number of Airmen with important skill sets. There is another policy area planning out how many new recruits the Air Force should bring in every year.

But those two programs are not always on the same page.

“Generally speaking, those policy areas are relatively disconnected,” Harrington said. “In our reports, we call for bringing those people responsible for human capital policies together to talk about this in one big group, because there are second order effects across all of these policy changes.”

Force protection is one example of an operational decision with secondary effects on MILPERS. Security Forces is the largest career field in the Air Force, so a decision to expand or reduce base protection could have a large ripple effect on the overall MILPERS budget.

“If you change the way you operate, you may have to change the personnel that you need,” Harrington said. “Are our ops, planning, and logistics thinking about the manpower implications and the MILPERS implications of the decisions they make?”

Money Games

In a “whole of Air Force” experiment, RAND invited Air Force officers, enlisted Airmen, and civilians from across the service to take part in a workforce futures policy game. Games are well suited to tackle complex problems where no single planner has complete knowledge of a system, researchers wrote.

“Even prior to conducting the game, the exercise of defining inputs, outcomes, and metrics with senior leaders and stakeholders from the Air Staff was tremendously informative,” they said. “As explained by one stakeholder, although the USAF does not control annual changes in basic pay, results from the game could be used to make a more informed argument to Congress for reforming how annual adjustments are calculated.”

When stakeholders work together, it should improve the efficiency of MILPERS policies and reduce the risk of a shortfall, Harrington said. Better integration might also help the department prepare for what to do in the case of a shortfall, which could better inform guidance for service members.

Better Guidance

Even the best-laid plans can be upended by politics. This past summer, the personnel funding shortfall was exacerbated by a dispute between lawmakers about whether to locate U.S. Space Command headquarters in Alabama or Colorado. When contingencies arise, the Air Force needs to be better prepared to communicate next steps for Airmen and their families, said Atkinson.

“Leadership is key, and the Air Force could leverage this challenge as an opportunity to demonstrate its dedication to caring for Airmen and their families despite structural limitations like budget shortfalls,” she wrote.

The 2023 shortfall had a disproportionate effect on female service members, who make up a higher percentage of dual-military marriages compared to active-duty male service members, Atkinson wrote. The political scientist witnessed the confusion and frustration her fellow service members faced in online forums where they tried to help each other navigate the PCS delay. For Atkinson, the experience reinforced the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the service.

“If you have those members in the room who say, ‘I’ve experienced this, I have a joint spouse career,’ or ‘I’ve utilized childcare, and I know about the gaps,’ then they can incorporate that perspective into policy, which will then better reach diverse elements of the population,” she said.

Atkinson pointed out then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown’s comment before the Senate Armed Services Committee that “the spouse network is alive and well, and the spouses will compare notes” about the shortfall. If senior leaders have a better sense for the hoops that Airmen have to jump through when a shortfall occurs, perhaps they can craft better guidance that won’t leave Airmen feeling adrift the way many did last summer, she said.

“We need to continue paying attention to those human experiences within this institution, whether that’s through holding town hall sessions, coffee talks,” or other forums, Atkinson said. “More of that is good, because it connects policy makers with the individuals who are then living the outcome of the policies that they set.”

New F-15EX Fighters—Nos. 3 and 4—Arrive at Eglin for Testing

Jan. 2, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The third and fourth airframes of the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II have arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for testing, the Air Force said Dec. 30. To hold the program schedule, six more need to be delivered before July.

The new aircraft, dubbed EX3 and EX4, arrived at Eglin on Dec. 20, the Air Force said. EX1, EX2, and EX4 belong to the 53rd Wing, while EX3 belongs to the 96th Test Wing.

The aircraft are undergoing both developmental and operational testing simultaneously, in order to compress the test schedule and get operational aircraft to the fleet as soon as possible. The first EX was delivered to Eglin in 2021. Flight test data acquired from similar aircraft sold under the Foreign Military Sales program has also been incorporated into the combined test effort.

The two new jets will also be earmarked for flight test, as will the next two. The last pair delivered under the first lot will be operational aircraft assigned to the Oregon Air National Guard, which runs the Air Force’s F-15 schoolhouse.

The first F-15EX to arrive at Eglin Air Force Base, in March of 2021 soars over the runway at Eglin AFB, Florida on Dec. 20, 2023. EX1 joined EX3 and EX4 in formation. U.S. Air Force photo by Ilka Cole

Aircraft Nos. 3 and 4 are about a year late, a situation Boeing has chalked up to supply line problems, manufacturing mistakes, and delays stemming from shifting some production work from South Korea to the U.S. The last four aircraft of the first lot are expected to be delivered by the spring.

According to the best-case, or “objective,” scenario under the F-15EX contract, the program was supposed to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) by last July, but did not do so. It can still meet the “threshold” or minimum-required IOC deadline of July 2024 if the Air Force takes delivery of eight total aircraft by then. If it doesn’t, the program will be in breach of the Nunn-McCurdy Act, requiring certifications from the Secretary of Defense to continue.

Full operational capability is deemed to be 44 jets on duty, with all the necessary pilots, spares, and support gear. It is now expected in 2027.

In October, the Pentagon reported that the F-15EX will have a flyaway cost of $94 million per fighter, assuming the Air Force buys the planned 104 aircraft. That disclosure came after the service transitioned the EX from being a mid-tier acquisition program to a Major Defense Program, triggering a requirement to set baseline program costs in the quarterly Selected Acquisition Reports. The Air Force has considered F-15EX production as high as 188-200 airplanes, but seems to have settled on a force of 104 jets.

The $94 million price quoted by the service includes the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) jamming and electronic warfare suite for the new-build jets. The initial unit cost estimate for the Eagle II was $80 million, comparable to the flyaway cost of the F-35.

In 2018, the Pentagon directed the Air Force to buy the F-15EX, deeming it the quickest way to replace worn-out F-15Cs with fresh iron. Most of the F-15C fleet is beyond its planned service life—with an average age of 38 years—and suffers from severe structural fatigue issues, deteriorating wiring, and parts obsolescence, resulting in speed, load, and maneuvering restrictions. The oldest USAF F-15C has been in service since 1979.

The EX—based on the F-15QA developed for Qatar—is a fly-by-wire aircraft with a powerful new processor and an additional two weapon stations versus the F-15E Strike Eagle, giving the Eagle II the largest combat load in the Air Force’s fighter inventory.

Like the E model, the EX has accommodation for two seats, but the Air Force plans to operate the fighter with a single pilot. The EX is also supposed to be equipped with conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), like the F-15E. The CFTs also have weapon stations, and besides extending range, offer more air-to-ground weapon hardpoints. However, the service did not fund the CFTs for the first 50 or so EX models, meaning they will be optimized for air-to-air missions. Service officials have said the first squadrons will likely be assigned to handle the homeland defense mission, rather than ground attack.

The first two F-15EXs have participated in a number of exercises; notably Northern Edge 2023 in May 2023, and Combat Hammer in August, where they fired live rounds in weapons tests.

Unlike the initial two jets, the new aircraft have cockpit pressure monitors and a warning system, along with a high frequency antenna for satellite communications. They also “feature a forward fuselage redesigned specifically for the U.S. Air Force,” a service release said.

The Air Force said the 2023 annual report from the Pentagon’s director of operational test “stated that the F-15EX is operationally effective, suitable, and survivable against threats likely to be encountered while performing its missions in threat environments.” It added that this report “allows the program to move into a new testing phase.”

The F-15EX has “met every challenge we’ve thrown at it,” and is “on the cusp of being ready for the warfighter,” according to Lt. Col. Christopher Wee, Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force commander.

The new deliveries pave the way “for not only the delivery of combat-coded aircraft to the U.S. Air Force, but also the continued development” of the aircraft, he said.

Lt. Col. Christopher Wee, the Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force commander and Maj. Matthew Russel, 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, director of operations, piloted one of the newest F-15EXs to its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida on Dec. 20, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Ilka Cole

The Air Force plans to buy 24 F-15EX in fiscal year 2025. Negotiations between Boeing and the Air Force on prices for production lots 2-4 were underway in the fall. The company has considered production rates between 24 and 48 aircraft per year at its St. Louis, Mo., facilities, and is marketing the EX to other countries with the Air Force’s blessing. Boeing has identified Indonesia as a possible EX customer, with an interest in buying 24 of the fighters.

Besides offering an in-kind replacement for the F-15C/D and E—performing both air superiority and ground attack missions after enemy air defenses have been beaten down—the EX is expected to serve as a standoff platform for launching long-range missiles and hypersonic weapons.

How an Aerial Photographer Snapped the B-2 Flying Over the Rose Bowl

Jan. 2, 2024 | By David Roza

Besides the dramatic, 27-20 win for the University of Michigan football team, the 2024 Rose Bowl will be remembered forever for a stunning shot of an Air Force B-2 stealth bomber flying over 96,000 fans in Pasadena, Calif., during the pregame rendition of the ”Star-Spangled Banner” on New Year’s Day.

But while the picture lasts forever, aerial photographer Mark Holtzman had just a few heartbeats to capture the bomber and the stadium at the perfect angle in one frame, all while flying at 100 miles per hour in one direction at about 4,500 feet as the B-2 flew about 200 miles per hour in the other at about 3,000 feet.

“It’s a very fluid shoot,” Holtzman told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Everything’s moving and it’s gone before you can take a breath.”

Aerial video of the 2024 Rose Bowl B-2 Flyover @Whiteman_AFB @AlabamaFTBL @UMichFootball #GoBlue #RollTide @rosebowlgame @RoseBowlStadium @rosebowl2024 @PasadenaGov @VisitCA #aerialphotography #fromanairplane #pilotview @SonyAlpha #sonya7riv #gmaster pic.twitter.com/ro6zZyV4TJ
— Mark Holtzman (@westcoastaerial) January 2, 2024

Holtzman had been up in his Cessna 206 since before dawn that morning to shoot the football game and the preceding Rose Parade, which also featured a B-2 flyover. A 20-year aerial photographer, Holtzman has shot the Rose Bowl 15 times now. Each occasion requires careful planning with the military pilots performing the flyover and the various government agencies overseeing security for the event.

“Everybody is at different altitudes and we’re all on a discrete frequency so there is no interference,” Holtzman said. “It’s very professional.”

Capturing a moving object at just the right spot and angle is a complicated task. If Holtzman gets the angle wrong, his photos will make it look as if the B-2 missed the stadium, or it might block the view of the field or the names of the teams painted in the endzones.

“It’s not just taking a picture of the plane flying by,” he explained. “For me, it’s putting it in context with what they’re flying over. That’s the hard thing.”

b-2 — Aerial photographer Mark Holtzman shot this image of an Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flying over the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Mark Holtzman)

The pilots of the B-2 or any other flyover aircraft follow a tight schedule to appear over the stadium at the exact right time in coordination with the national anthem, and during the approach they are told by controllers on the ground to speed up or slow down based on the pace of the performance. Holtzman has to read the situation and make the right call to shoot the flyover, but first he has to spot the jet as it approaches.

“Everything is very fast, and if you can’t see him, you’re not going to get the picture,” said the pilot, who flies with a co-pilot and his son to make sure somebody spots the approaching aircraft in time. When the moment finally arrives, Holtzman sticks his camera out the Cessna window to get the shot. By then, the pre-flight jitters are gone as he starts to work his magic.

“Once I’m there, I’m in kind of a zone. I’m not thinking, I’m just reacting,” said the photographer, who grew up playing jazz on the trumpet. “It’s very improvisational … if I did it one way this time, who knows how I’m going to do it next time.”

b-2 — Aerial photographer Mark Holtzman shot this image of an Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flying over the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Mark Holtzman)

The payoff happens afterwards, when football fans, pilots, and others reach out to share what the flyover photo meant to them. Some say they printed out a copy because it marked the last time they went to a football game with their grandparents, or because their spouse was an aerospace engineer involved in the B-2 design program.

“Pictures are strong,” Holtzman said. “We know that, but it’s a wonderful thing. Just one picture, and no words, but it means a lot.”

Though they missed the 2023 flyover due to a fleetwide grounding, the B-2s stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., regularly perform the Rose Bowl flyover. Last year, a pair of B-1 bombers did the honors. The pilots who perform the flyovers appreciate the photos, and Holtzman often prints out his work and sends them to the crew. Over the years, he has built something of a reputation to live up to.

“They call me now before the game and ask ‘are you going to be there taking pictures?’” he said. “It’s a bit more pressure now.”

X-37 and Chinese Space Plane Both Launch: ‘Two of the Most Watched Objects on Orbit’

Jan. 2, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle returned to orbit Dec. 28, riding a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Fla after multiple scrubbed launches.

The launch of the secretive reusable space plane came two weeks after China launched its own mysterious spacecraft, “Shenlong,” on Dec. 14. Initially, the Space Force planned to launch X-37 before Shenlong, on Dec. 7, but that date was pushed back several times due to ground issues, weather, and pad availability.

Still, the close proximity of the dueling space plane launches has raised eyebrows—and Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said Dec. 13 that it was “probably no coincidence” the two were launching around the same time.

“It’s no surprise that the Chinese are extremely interested in our space plane. We’re extremely interested in theirs,” Saltzman said at the Spacepower conference in Orlando, Fla. “Because it is a capability; the ability to put something in orbit, do some things, and bring it home and take a look at the results is powerful. And so these are two of the most watched objects on orbit while they’re on orbit. It’s probably no coincidence that they’re trying to match us in timing and sequence of this.”

Shenlong has already generated headlines after Space.com reported amateur trackers claimed it had released six objects into orbit, some of which were emitting signals.

Details on X-37 are scarce, but the Space Force has acknowledged this mission—the space plane’s seventh—will test the spacecraft in “new orbital regimes.” It has operated in low-Earth orbit in the past, some 110-500 miles above the ground, but Falcon Heavy can deliver payloads of 58,860 pounds—far more than the X-37B—to geosynchronous orbit, more than 22,000 miles up.

“We are going to expand the envelope,” Saltzman said prior to the launch. “There are some good experiments and tests and that’s the primary goal of that, testing technologies.”

In a release after the launch, the Space Force said X-37 would be “experimenting with space domain awareness technologies and investigating radiation effects to NASA materials.” Other payloads remain classified.

“My memories go back to the Gemini and Mercury programs,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said in a release. “This is an incredible event, and I think about the teamwork over all those decades that has led to what has been a revolutionary improvement in space travel capability. We have come so far, and it’s been teamwork by the government; the Air Force and now the Space Force, which didn’t exist until a few years ago; NASA; industry teams; and so many others that all contributed to what we saw tonight.”

When the Space Force will say anything more about X-37 is unknown, but it could be a while—with each successive mission, the space plane has spent more time in orbit, hitting a record 908 days when it last returned in November 2022. Should that trend continue, it will not return to Earth from its current mission until June 2026.

Regardless, Saltzman made clear at the Spacepower conference that “great power competition” between the U.S. and China has reinvigorated interest in keeping the X-37 program alive.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is prepared for launch prior to USSF-52 carrying a United States Space Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A. U.S. Space Force photo

USAF’s New No. 2: Slife Sworn in as Vice Chief of Staff

Jan. 2, 2024 | By Chris Gordon

After a monthslong wait, the Air Force has a new No. 2 officer. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife was sworn in as the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force and received his fourth star on Dec. 29.

“We stand at the precipice of a different strategic environment,” Slife said in remarks at a small ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.

Between Slife and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, the Air Force now has no fighter or bomber pilot in either of its top two jobs—Slife was a special operations pilot and Allvin was a mobility aviator, including time as a test pilot.

Slife will now help guide the Air Staff through what are expected to be significant changes for the service. The Air Force will soon unveil its plans for “re-optimization,” which Slife had been helping shape in his previous role as deputy chief of staff for operations (A3).

Led by Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, the re-optimization is aimed at improving service readiness for potential conflict with China, officials say. The branch already increasingly centers its operations around the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, in which teams of Airmen disperse to operate from remote or austere locations. Leaders also introduced a new force generation model known as AFFORGEN.

On the Air Staff, Slife was charged with helping with the development and implementation of those policies as well as overall oversight of operations, force management, training, and readiness.

“The attributes that this strategic environment demands are a focus on mission over function,” Slife said of his work as the A3 in an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine before he became VCSAF. “It prizes agility and adaptiveness.”

In the role of Vice Chief, Slife will have a broader remit overseeing the USAF’s adaptation to that environment.

“[It’s] the hardest thing we’ve done in a long time and maybe the hardest thing we do together,” Allvin said of the changes ahead for the service. “Having someone on the team who knows that and has done that … couldn’t be better now for our force.”

Slife has “seen all parts of the business and has done it with excellence,” Allvin added.

After being promoted to the position of Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, Gen. James Slife’s family pins his new rank on his uniform during his ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Dec 29, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya

Slife has spent most of his Air Force career in special operations at Hurlburt Field, Fla.; RAF Mildenhall, U.K.; and Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.; culminating in becoming a major command boss as the head of Air Force Special Operations Command. Slife then moved to the Pentagon in December 2022.

Slife was not confirmed as VCSAF until Dec. 19 despite being nominated for the job in September, which left the Air Force without a Vice Chief for three months. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) placed a hold on en masse confirmation of senior military promotions and nominations, which are subject to Senate approval, in protest of the Department of Defense’s reproductive health policies. The hold on most of the officers was lifted in early December, but Slife was part of the last batch of four-star generals that were confirmed two weeks later.

There are still many confirmed Air Force generals who have yet to assume their new posts, but Slife’s elevation is a significant step toward more senior officers beginning to take on their new assignments

As VCSAF, Slife will join other service vice chiefs as a member of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), which focuses on identifying common requirements across the U.S. military.

“That dialogue is going to be necessary because I believe, in some ways, our technology has advanced faster than our service cultures have combined,” Allvin said in a recent interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine, speaking of his own experience on the JROC as the Air Force’s Vice Chief from 2020-2023.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the CSAF for most of Slife’s tenure on the Air Staff, offered praise for Slife—as a person and as an Airman.

“This is a very proud day because this is something I thought Jim Slife truly deserved,” said Brown. “I really felt like Jim was one of those that I could always turn to because he always provided thoughtful insights.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. administers the Oath of Office to newly appointed Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife during a ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Dec 29, 2023. Slife will become the Air Force’s 41st Vice Chief and most recently served as the deputy chief of staff for operations. U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya

B-1 Bombers Fly in Second Trilateral Exercise with Japan and S Korea

Dec. 21, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers flew from the mainland U.S. to participate for the second ever trilateral aerial exercise with South Korea and Japan on Dec. 20—the latest in a surge of bomber exercises over the Korean Peninsula in 2023.

The bombers, assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., have now returned to Ellsworth as of Dec. 21, a 7th Air Force spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

U.S. F-16 fighters assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing and the 35th Fighter Wing, along with South Korean F-15Ks and Japanese F-2s, escorted the two bombers over the waters near South Korea’s southernmost island, Jeju. KC-135 Stratotankers stationed at a U.S. base in Japan also provided aerial refueling support for the B-1Bs during the trilateral exercise, the spokesperson added.

In late January 2023, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III promised during a visit to South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, that the U.S. would step up its military exercises with the ROK, to include expanded use of air assets like bombers.

That pledge was followed by regular appearances of B-1 and B-52 bombers above or near the Korean Peninsula nearly every month. The Dec. 20 exercise marked the Lancer’s sixth appearance in a joint exercise with the ROK this year, while the Stratofortress has participated eight times, including a historic touchdown on the Korean Peninsula in October, a sight not seen for the last three decades:

On Feb. 1, two B-1s and F-22 Raptors flew with South Korean F-35s over the Yellow Sea.

On Feb. 19, two B-1s flew with F-16s and ROK F-35s through the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone.

On March 3, one B-1 flew with South Korean F-15K and KF-16 fighters over the Yellow Sea.

On March 6, one B-52 flew with South Korean F-15s and F-16s through the Korean ADIZ.

On March 19, two B-1s flew with F-16s and South Korean F-35s.

On April 5, one B-52 flew with U.S. F-35Bs and F-16s and South Korean F-35s

On April 14, B-52s flew with USAF F-16s and ROKAF F-35s.

On June 30, multiple B-52s flew with USAF F-16s and F-15Es and ROKAF F-35As and KF-16s.

On July 13, one B-52 flew with USAF F-16s and ROKAF F-15s over the peninsula.

On Aug. 30, one B-1 flew with USAF F-16s and ROKAF FA-50s.

On Oct. 17, a B-52 landed in South Korea and participated in a joint drill with South Korean F-35s.

On Oct. 22, that B-52 flew with three U.S. F-16s, two South Korean F-15Ks, and four Japanese F-2s.

On Nov. 15, one B-52 was escorted by USAF F-16s, U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs, and ROKAF KF-15s and KF-35s.

The October exercise between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, marked the first ever trilateral air training between the three countries—Dec. 20 marked the second such occasion.

The increase in exercises comes as North Korea continues to advance its nuclear capabilities, along with growing threats from Russia and China. Washington’s non-nuclear allies increasingly rely on U.S. bombers for visible shows of deterrence.

For the second time this year, fighter aircraft from the U.S., Japan, and the Republic of Korea conducted a trilateral escort flight of U.S. bombers operating in the Indo-Pacific, Dec. 20, 2023. Photo by Senior Airman Karla Parra

This latest exercise was held two days after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile launch on Dec. 18. Pyongyang’s state media claimed it reached an altitude of 4,050 miles, covering a distance of 622.6 miles, and accurately hit the intended target in the sea.

On Dec. 19, a day after Pyongyang’s missile launch, the Pentagon announced the full activation of a real-time North Korean missile warning data sharing mechanism with South Korea and Japan.

The Department of Defense also confirmed the joint establishment of a comprehensive multiyear trilateral exercise plan the same day, hinting at a potentially increased presence of U.S. bombers in the region in 2024.