Congress Won’t Let Air Force Retire T-1s; Might Accept New T-7s Built Without Contract

Dec. 18, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

The 2024 compromise defense bill won’t let the Air Force retire its T-1A Jayhawk trainers until the service’s new pilot training system is up and running and the Secretary of the Air Force certifies that retiring the jet won’t slow the pace of producing new pilots. The bill also might allow the Air Force to accept some T-7A advanced trainers built before a contract for them is actually in place.

The 2024 National Defense Authorization Bill prohibits Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall from retiring any of the service’s aging T-1A Jayhawks until he certifies the “full, fleet-wide implementation” of the new Undergraduate Pilot Training curriculum, previously called UPT 2.5. Kendall also has to send Congress a written assessment of how the UPT curriculum will affect the completion rates of new pilot trainees, and whether the retirements affect the speed at which they complete their training.

The Air Force had asked to retire 52 T-1As in the fiscal 2024 defense budget request. The jets have been used since the 1990s to train pilots on the tanker/transport track, but under the new UPT curriculum, the live-fly T-1 curriculum would be phased out in favor of all-simulator training.

The service has said that the new UPT scheme will be more individualized and allow pilots to progress more at their own pace, thus reducing the number of washouts and working to erase the Air Force’s chronic pilot shortage, which has wavered between 1,500 and 2,000 pilots for a decade.

Even before the 2024 defense bill got to Congress, some Republican members were lobbying the service to upgrade and retain the jets, which are at or beyond their planned service lives. In a February letter from some members of the Mississippi delegation—Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, as well as Reps. Michael Guest and Trent Kelly—the lawmakers voiced concern that if there’s a delay with shifting to high-fidelity simulation at the necessary scale, “the Air Force will lose any ability to effectively train pilots” in an aircraft comparable to what they’ll fly after graduation.

Given “recent media reports of further delays in the T-7A program, the T-1A may be the best defense against unforeseen shortfalls that may adversely affect the pilot training pipeline,” the Mississippi lawmakers wrote.

Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi is one of the Air Force’s UPT bases. The Jayhawk is also flown at Laughlin and Randolph Air Force Bases in Texas; Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma and at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., where the Air Force jointly conducts some of its weapon system officer and navigator training with the Navy.

The Air Force has said it wants to use the money that would be spent on extending the T-1’s service life and operating it to advance to the simulation format, which will also allow the service to rely more on contract instructors rather than uniformed pilots, thus saving more rated slots for the operational force.

The Air Force was not immediately able to say when it expects the new UPT syllabus to be fully implemented.

Congressional concern with the speed of pilot training was also reflected in NDAA language regarding the T-7. In anticipation of a low-rate initial production contract that was initially expected this month, Boeing has conducted some construction work on aircraft beyond the five that will be used for flight test, on the grounds that the T-7 test aircraft were built on the same tooling that will be used for production, and the team is already in place to start ramping up production. That work wasn’t supervised by the Defense Contract Management Agency, however, and, technically, specifications for the objective aircraft have yet to be spelled out in a contract.

Delays in testing and in resolving a number of issues discovered in testing thus far has blocked the Air Force from issuing contracts for production aircraft, leaving in question what will happen to the materials produced before the contract is actually awarded.

Lawmakers now want from Kendall a “schedule risk assessment” of the T-7A, “at the 80 percent confidence level, that includes risks associated with the overlap of the development, testing, and production phases of the program and risks related to contractor management.”

The compromise language directs the Air Force to present a “plan for determining the conditions under which the Secretary of the Air Force may accept production work” on the T-7A “that was completed by the contractor for the program in anticipation of the Air Force ordering additional systems, but which was not subject to typical production oversight because there was no contract for the procurement of such additional systems in effect when such work was performed.’’

The $9 billion T-7A contract was awarded in 2018. The first production aircraft were to have been delivered in early 2023, but delays having to do with ejection seat issues, flight controls and other problems, as well as pandemic-related labor and supply issues, have delayed the program. Boeing has absorbed more than $1 billion in losses on the fixed-price program, due to the above issues and inflation.

The first T-7A flight with an Air Force test pilot at the controls took place in June. The Air Force accepted the first of the five test aircraft in mid-September, but Boeing, along with its partner Saab of Sweden, has done work on two more aircraft.

The Air Force plans to buy 351 T-7As to replace its T-38 Talons, now serving more than 60 years. The Government Accountability Office pegs the T-7A program at more than two years behind schedule and anticipates more delays to come. Air Force acquisition executive Andrew Hunter told Congress in April that the target of 2024 for initial operational capability of the T-7A will slip to 2027 at the earliest, after reporting just a few months earlier that IOC would come in 2026.

The Air Force didn’t include production money in its FY’24 budget request for the T-7A, assuming it wouldn’t be able to start production due to the ejection seat problem. However, it forecast that 94 of the trainers will be built through the end of its five-year plan at a cost of $2.205 billion.

US, Allies Take On Over 100 Attacks by Houthis with New ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’

Dec. 18, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The U.S. is establishing a multinational maritime task force—Operation Prosperity Guardian—to address attacks from Houthis in Yemen on commercial ships and other targets as the conflict in the Middle East widens and risks upending global trade, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced Dec. 18. The Pentagon said Dec. 19 that the Houthis have conducted over 100 drone and ballistic missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different nations.

“The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law,” Austin said in a statement Oct. 18 issued while he was on a trip to the Middle East. “Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity.”

So far, the nations haven’t revealed what the maritime task force will consist of, such as ships each country will contribute. Some nations, such as the U.K. and France, have already engaged Houthi drones during the recent crisis and have bolstered their maritime presence in the region.

Austin held a virtual meeting of top defense leaders with 43 countries as well as representatives from the European Union and NATO on Dec. 19, the Pentagon said.

“Secretary Austin condemned Houthi attacks on international shipping and global commerce as unprecedented,” according to a readout of the meeting provided by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder.

The Pentagon said Austin, senior DOD leadership, CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, and Naval Forces Central (NAVCENT) commander Vice Adm. Brad Cooper briefed participants on the roughly 100 attacks and noted the 25 crew of the merchant vessel Galaxy Leader are still being held hostage after Houthis seized the ship on Nov. 19.

“We’re taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat,” Austin told reporters Dec. 18. “This is not just a U.S. issue. This is an international problem, and it deserves an international response.”

During the meeting on Dec. 19, Austin urged more nations to join the maritime efforts to stop Houthi attacks.

Around the time Austin touched down in Israel on Dec. 18, the tanker M/V Swan Atlantic was attacked, and the USS Carney guided missile destroyer was dispatched to render aid, a U.S. military official said, highlighting how acute the Houthi threat has become. U.S. Central Command later said the bulk cargo ship M/V Clara had an “explosion in the water near their location” time. CENTCOM called both incidents “Houthi militant attacks.”

Austin arrived in Israel via Bahrain, home of U.S. naval forces in the region as part of the Navy’s 5th Fleet. Austin and Gallant discussed “the growing global threat posed by Houthis,” the Israeli defense chief said.

“They’re a terrorist organization,” Gallant said. “Their action[s] threaten international freedom of navigation and reckless behavior—firing ballistic, cruise missiles, and drones against Israel can drag the region into war.”

The Biden administration has not said whether it is prepared to use force to try to deter further Houthi attacks. When Biden was vice president during the Obama administration in 2016, a U.S. warship fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at three radar Houthi radar sites after they fired at the U.S. Navy and commercial ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The guided missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) launches a strike against three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, Oct. 13, 2016. U.S. Navy photo

“The Bab el-Mandeb is incredibly important,” retired Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, who commanded CENTCOM at the time, previously told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“You could take action against coastal radars, coastal gun systems, missile systems, those kinds of sites,” Votel said of possible U.S. strike options.

The Houthis attacks are disrupting global trade, as traffic headed to and from the Suez Canal must pass the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint near Yemen between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

“We’re going make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to ensure freedom of navigation in the area,” Austin told reporters. “The Strait is pretty important.”

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group is near the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, satellite imagery shows. The Eisenhower’s position shows how quickly the Iranian-backed Houthis have changed America’s calculus. In November, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group arrived at the Persian Gulf to deter Iran and fly missions as part of the anti-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria. Now the Ike has returned to the coast of Yemen to deter the Houthis.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet prepares to land on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Gulf of Oman Nov. 20, 2023. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Janae Chambers

The Pentagon rushed F-35 Lighting II stealth fighters to the region to deter Iranian attacks on shipping, and the aircraft were also used over Syria. The F-35s left roughly a week before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, though the Air Force fighter posture in the region initially doubled to six squadrons after the Hamas attack.

The Ike could be called upon to provide airpower in support of military operations. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets such as MQ-9 drones and P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft are among the aerial platforms that could assist military efforts against the Houthis if officials decide to use force. A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 was shot down off the coast of Yemen and fell into the Red Sea last month.

“The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade,” Austin stated in the Dec. 18 announcement of Operation Prosperity Guardian. “Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor launching ballistic missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) at merchant vessels from many nations lawfully transiting international waters.”

Experts and some U.S. officials say it is unclear whether the Houthis are acting on their own with Iranian-supplied weapons or are being directed to attack by Tehran—perhaps even with the benefit of Iranian intelligence agencies, some experts note.

The Behshad, which Iran says is a cargo ship, is widely believed to have intelligence-gathering capabilities. It has been in the Red Sea for years, replacing a vessel called the Saviz, which was attacked under mysterious circumstances.

On Dec. 19, Austin “reiterated that the international community is faced with an unprecedented global challenge that demands collective action,” the Pentagon said.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Dec. 19 after the virtual meeting on Red Sea attacks.

US, Australia, and UK Bring Their C-17s Together for Pacific Mobility Exercise

Dec. 18, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The U.S., Australia, and the U.K. joined forces for “Global Dexterity,” a two-week exercise in the Pacific that saw C-17 transport crews from all three nations work together to practice mobility operations from Nov. 27 to Dec. 8.

The jets and crews gathered at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley, located near the center of the country’s east coast. In the exercise, air and ground crews from each country operated and maintained each other’s aircraft. They collaborated on airlift, airdrop, air refueling, and low-level flight to prepare for future conflicts or humanitarian missions that could see them working closely together.

“It’s critical as we go forward, I think, because we have an opportunity to both learn from each other and capitalize on each of our unique capabilities that we bring and learn from each other,” U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Lewis, 15th Operations Group commander, said in a release. “It’s those things that we bring together to sharpen each other and make each other better as a crew force across the C- 17 fleet.”

A Royal Air Force release published on Dec. 2 said the training would also include taking off and landing from small airfields with limited infrastructure in Northern Australia to practice tactical airlifts, as well as fly low between mountains in Papua New Guinea, a challenge in a heavy aircraft such as the C-17, though the aircraft is highly maneuverable for its size and designed to operate in rough conditions.

A Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III flies in a training flight formation during Exercise Global Dexterity 23-24 around the skies of Papua New Guinea, Dec. 6, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Makensie Cooper

“One of the main objectives of the exercise is to allow us the opportunity to fly with multi-country crews to see the differences between techniques, tactics and procedures, but also to learn little tips and tricks that other defense forces might have that we haven’t necessarily considered ourselves,” said Flight Lieutenant Josh Wright, Royal Australian Air Force No. 36 Squadron pilot.

This was the RAF’s first appearance at Global Dexterity, and the service’s presence in the Indo-Pacific military exercises is expected to grow amid rising tensions with China. In March, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reached an agreement to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a trade pact involving 11 nations of the region, including Singapore, Japan, and Malaysia. Sunak also reiterated the country’s commitment to a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ for defense and security, addressing China’s challenge to global security at the G7 summit in May.

The U.S., U.K., and Australia are strengthening their military collaboration through AUKUS, a trilateral security and defense partnership signed in 2023. The agreement highlights reinforcing regional security in the region.

“You want to work with your mates so that you know both their capabilities, as well as the things that they can’t do whether it’s limited by government or by fleet size or by crew size,” Lewis added. “So that’s why it’s so important that we’re doing this now.”

Global Dexterity is a biannual exercise led by the U.S. Air Force’s 15th Wing, located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. An earlier iteration was held in May and also revolved around C-17 interoperability and mobility training. The C-17, a long-range transport jet, is renowned for its capacity to carry heavy loads, including tanks and helicopters, with short takeoff and landing capabilities.

AFA’s Next CEO: The Search Is On

Dec. 18, 2023 | By Tobias Naegele

The search for the Air & Space Forces Association’s next President & CEO is underway, and the search committee is casting a wide net over the next 30 days to identify as many qualified candidates as possible.

AFA President & CEO Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, (USAF, Ret.), earlier this month announced his intent to retire in 2024. AFA Chair of the Board Bernie Skoch appointed a committee of seven to identify his replacement. The search committee is chaired by retired Gen. Robin Rand, and includes the 14th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gerald Murray; the 19th Secretary of the Air Force Whit Peters; Retired Brig. Gen. Sandy Schlitt (all past AFA Chairs of the Board), along with Board Member Gabbe Kearney, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Kim Crider, and AFA Chaplain and retired Air Force Chief of Chaplains Maj. Gen. Stephen A. Schaick.

Rand said the committee is focused on candidates who can exhibit these eight attributes:

Love for the Department of the Air Force’s mission, for Airmen and Guardians

Commitment to and understanding of the department’s core values

Proven leadership running and leading a staff

Ability to encourage, influence, empower those serving in a volunteer organization

Experience in directing budget planning and execution

Experience and ability to work with senior industry executives

Confidence and experience in working with Congressional members and staffs

Experience and credibility with DAF leaders and senior retired DAF members active in Association affairs

Volunteer experience

To be considered or to recommend candidates, contact Committee Liaison Miranda Roberts by Jan. 13, 2024, at mroberts@afa.org.

US SPACECOM Achieves Full Operational Capability—in Colorado

Dec. 17, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

U.S. Space Command declared full operational capability Dec. 15, four years after the nation’s 11th combatant command was established—and before it has a permanent home base.

“Thanks to the disciplined initiative of our people and the support of our joint, combined, and partnered team, I can confidently say we have reached full operational capability,” SPACECOM commander Army Gen. James Dickinson told his headquarters team during a command town hall at its home station on Peterson Space Force Base, Colo.

After an in-depth evaluation, including affirming the command’s ability to function under what Dickinson called “our worst day, when we are needed the most,” the command concluded it can now operate under any scenario, according to a release.

The declaration comes as Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, continues to fight to relocate SPACECOM to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., just north of Rogers’ home turf and Alabama’s 3rd congressional district.

Now that SPACECOM has reached FOC, however, Colorado lawmakers can argue against moving from its provisional headquarters because doing so would set the command back in terms of readiness. Compromise language in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act states that a new command headquarters cannot be built until government watchdogs investigate President Joe Biden’s decision to keep SPACECOM in Colorado, which reversed a decision made by former President Donald Trump in his final weeks in office.

“Maintaining the headquarters at its current location ensures no risk of disruption to Space Command’s mission and personnel, and avoids a transition that could impact readiness at a critical time given the challenges we continue to face,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told Air & Space Forces Magazine in July.

SPACECOM declared initial operational capability (IOC) in August 2021. Full operational capability is a significant advance, which includes:

Accomplishing the Unified Command Plan mission alongside global campaigning, exercising, and responding to crises

Employing the personnel with all necessary skills across the full span of military, civilian, and contractor personnel

Possessing the infrastructure necessary to support command and control across all mission and business functions

Having all necessary command processes and functions in place

Being able to set the conditions and requirements for the future fight

Dickinson said challenges have only grown in space, primarily from America’s chief adversaries.

“As the command has matured, challenges to a safe, secure, stable, and sustainable space domain have significantly increased,” Dickinson said. “Both the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation are fielding counterspace capabilities designed to hold U.S., allied, and partner space assets at risk. And North Korea and Iran are in the early stages of developing their space enterprise.”

U.S. Space Command was established in the fall of 2019 as a geographic—or “astrographic,” in SPACECOM’s new terminology—combatant command, responsible for military operations 100 kilometers above sea level and beyond. Just months later, the U.S. Space Force was established as an independent military branch to organize, train, and equip space forces in support of all 11 combatant commands.

SPACECOM validated its headquarters staff’s ability to function as a “ready, joint force” in a joint exercise with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the command said. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III approved the command’s operational plan, another critical step in its development.

“As the complexity of the domain grows, so must our capability to deliver operational and strategic effects to our nation and preserve the safety and stability of the domain,” said Dickinson, who remains atop the command while waiting for Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, nominated to succeed him, to be confirmed as the four-star combatant commander. That nomination is among nearly a dozen still on hold due to another Alabama politician, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who has held up military promotions for months in an attempt to force the Pentagon to reverse a policy that provides time off and travel expenses for military members based in locations where certain reproductive health services are not available, such as abortions.

The declaration of full operational capability “does not mean the command will stop developing capability or capacity,” SPACECOM said in its announcement. “The command, like all others, will require additional resources to keep pace with competitors and evolving threats.”

WC-135 ‘Nuke-Sniffer’ Fleet Upgrades Are Complete, USAF Says

Dec. 15, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Air Force took delivery on the third and final WC-135R “Nuke Sniffer” aircraft, completing its transition from its two-aircraft WC-135C/W fleet.

The new fanjet aircraft arrived at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., on Dec. 4.

“Having this third jet really opens up a lot of options for us,” said Col. Mark Howard, 55th Wing commander in a release.

The aircraft sample the air for particles and gases indicating nuclear activities to ensure compliance with the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963, a global agreement to restrict nuclear weapons testing. There are few missions like it anywhere else in the U.S. military.

“Most people think of radiation and think ‘avoid it,’” one Constant Phoenix crew member told Air & Space Forces Magazine in May. “With this jet we’re able to go and actually do that safely, which I think is really cool.”

Having three jets rather than two gives Constant Phoenix crew members much more flexibility to take samples in more parts of the world, which is especially important as the number of potential nuclear foes increases.

“For the first time in our nation’s history we have the ability to respond to simultaneous events without mission degradation or diversion of assets.” said Col. James Finlayson, commander of the Air Force Technical Application Center. AFTAC oversees the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System, which monitors foreign compliance with nuclear testing treaties. The WC-135Rs are flown by the 55th Wing’s 45th Reconnaissance Squadron, while AFTAC provides the special equipment operators who run the airborne sampling equipment.

The “new” WC-135Rs are converted KC-135R aerial refuelers. Their transformation from Stratotankers to nuclear-sniffers began in 2019 at the 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, a maintenance depot best known as ‘Big Safari.’ The third R-model, tail number 64-14829, was initially delivered to the Air Force in 1964 and most recently operated by the Arizona Air National Guard before its makeover.

The new jets feature a brand-new cockpit and CFM-56 turbofan engines, the same as the other two WC-135Rs. The earlier aircraft were dissimilar, so this will make training and maintenance more efficient.

“Having the same engines across the entire fleet is huge for our pilots as well as our maintainers,” Howard said.

The new engines also fix a problem that afflicted the older WC-135W fleet, whose engines went out of production decades ago and often suffered dangerous failures.

The first WC-135R was delivered in July 2022, followed by the second aircraft this May. The 55th Wing retired the first WC-135C/W aircraft in November 2020, and the second one in the fall of 2022.

Slow Down Armed Overwatch Until SOCOM Justifies Fleet, GAO Says

Dec. 15, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Editor’s Note: This story was updated Dec. 21 with a comment from L3Harris.

Special Operations Command failed to fully justify its order for 75 AT-802U Sky Warden “Armed Overwatch” aircraft, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report, urging the Pentagon to slow down the program until SOCOM makes a better business case for so many planes.

The report, “Special Operations Forces: DOD Should Slow Acquisition of Armed Overwatch Aircraft Until It Conducts Needed Analysis,” was released December 15.

GAO recommended the Sky Warden—selected for the $2.2 billion Armed Overwatch program in 2022—should be slowed down starting in 2025 “to the minimum rate needed to maintain the aircraft production line and support operational test and evaluation.” The slowdown would limit Sky Warden purchases to only enough to conduct suitability tests and train the initial cadre of operators, while buying time for SOCOM time to rethink its requirements in light of changes both the mission and the capability of the aircraft, GAO said.

GAO suggested SOCOM needs a “substantially smaller” fleet of Sky Wardens, but did recommend a number itself.

The Pentagon largely concurred with GAO’s findings and said it is still determining how many aircraft are needed for an initial training cadre.

The Sky Warden is an Air Tractor with a crew of two and is offered in partnership with prime L3Harris Technologies, which supplies mission gear. The program sought a rugged fixed-wing aircraft that could operate from austere locations with a light logistical footprint, mainly for use in anti-terrorism, close air support or counterinsurgency missions in permissive airspace. It will replace the U-28 Draco, which lacks the weapons capability that has driven the urgency of the project.

In a statement provided to Air & Space Forces Magazine, L3Harris did not directly address the GAO’s recommendations, but said in part, “Our team recently achieved significant milestones toward our certification of the platform and is focused on fielding this fleet and supporting USSOCOM’s need to counter persistent multi-domain threats and deter strategic attacks in support of national defense priorities.”

As of late 2023, SOCOM owns 16 Sky Wardens and plans to add another 12 by the spring of 2024, GAO said.

“GAO found…that studies completed in 2021 and 2022 did not justify SOCOM’s planned fleet size of 75 aircraft,” the watchdog audit agency said. Four other “related studies conducted by external entities” published from April 2021 through March 2023 also failed to justify that number, it added. The agency said SOCOM documents and interviews with SOCOM leadership indicated the command had largely settled on a fleet of 70-75 airplanes in 2019, well before analyses were completed.

SOCOM “decided on the size of the fleet before conducting the required analyses,” and didn’t assess “how changes in the aircraft’s capabilities could affect the number needed for operations.” The GAO noted that the aircraft finally chosen “is more capable than the one modeled” in capacity studies. SOCOM is also studying how to modify the airplane “to meet intelligence requirements,” which may also affect demand for the aircraft, the agency said.

Finally, “despite changes to operational missions,” GAO said SOCOM has never revisited its Sky Warden requirements. Among the factors it cited: the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and force structure reductions now “under consideration.”

SOCOM told GAO that changes in the procurement timeline could affect the individual aircraft cost, but argued the command will be “better able to make informed decisions and efficiently use the more than $2.2 billion it estimates it will spend” on the Sky Warden through 2028.

The Armed Overwatch program rose from the ashes of the Air Force’s Light Armed Attack/Armed Reconnaissance and OA-X Light Attack Aircraft program, which SOCOM effectively took over at congressional direction in 2020. That later morphed into a different mission. Initially intended as a way for USAF to partner with developing countries on a close air support program, the program is now seen as a way to provide eye-in-the-sky and communications support to special operators on the ground, providing both ISR function and responsive light strike capability.

Armed Overwatch marks the seventh attempt by the armed forces to buy an off-the-shelf turboprop for COIN-like and special operations missions since 2008. Aircraft that competed for the Armed Overwatch program include the Beechcraft AT-6B Wolverine; Embraer A-29 Super Tucano, Sierra Nevada MC-145B, MAG Aerospace MC-208 Guardian and Leidos Bronco II.

Shaw Airman Talks Cessna Pilot to Safety After ‘Catastrophic’ Emergency

Dec. 15, 2023 | By David Roza

An Air Traffic Control (ATC) Airman at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. recently saved the life of a civilian Cessna pilot and his passenger when the pilot experienced an in-flight emergency. Staff Sgt. Samuel McLean, ATC watch supervisor for the 20th Operations Support Squadron, was the only air traffic controller in the tower overlooking Shaw on Sept. 19 when a call came in via an unusual line.

“I’m in a lot of trouble,” the caller told McLean, according to a press release published Dec. 13.

The caller was an 18-year-old flying a Cessna 550 Citation II, a small two-engine business jet. The pilot had just left Sumter Airport for Columbia, S.C. with his cousin riding as a passenger, when the Cessna began leaking fuel and the radio and transponder stopped working. The malfunctions amounted to “a catastrophic failure,” the release said, especially with the aircraft only about 580 feet off the ground. Without a working radio, the pilot used his cell phone to call the ATC tower at Shaw.

“He sounded absolutely terrified,” McLean recalled.

With no working transponder or radio, the McLean could not find the Cessna on radar, so the pilot cited nearby landmarks to approximate his location, which was close to McEntire Joint National Guard Base, about 20 miles west of Shaw. The aircraft was moving westbound at a heading of 290 degrees. The pilot wanted to go back to Sumter, but was going the wrong way.

McLean directed the pilot to turn back east on a heading of 110 degrees. Meanwhile, he also coordinated with Radar Approach Control (RAPCON), which provides aircraft guidance at greater ranges than the ATC tower, to reroute an F-16 into a high holding pattern. When he at last spotted the Cessna over a tree line, he recommended headings based on his line-of-sight view, “a difficult feat to accomplish because vectoring relies heavily on the use of radar,” as the release noted.

“I kept the pilot on the phone until he saw Shaw,” the Airman said. “With his altitude being so low, he still couldn’t see Sumter.”

Over some 30 minutes, McLean was able to guide the pilot to the Sumter airport, hanging up only as the pilot prepared to land. Once on the ground, he called McLean back and let him know he landed safely.

“It was definitely the craziest thing that I’ve experienced,” McLean said. “And hopefully the craziest thing I’ll ever experience.”

Air Force ATCs like McLean learn to adapt quickly to new situations during their 72-day training course at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

“Due to the hectic nature of the job, it can be overwhelming at times,” the Air Force states on its website. “Air Traffic Control, whether military or civilian, is also commonly listed among the top five most stressful jobs. Applicants should possess a level head and be able to work well under stress.”

Air Force ATCs have a long history of saving lives in the sky. In 2020, Wendy Smith, a civilian Air Force controller at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., saved the lives of six CV-22 Osprey crewmen when she noticed something was wrong with the aircraft’s rotor blades as it climbed away. In 2008, Senior Airman Angela Huguley, another ATC, saved 19 people when she realized an Army RC-12 reconnaissance plane was about to mistakenly land on a closed runway amid poor visibility conditions. She quickly ordered the plane to abort the landing, avoiding “a catastrophic mishap and loss of life.”

There are so many such stories that the Air Force awards quarterly awards, the Lt. Gen. Gordon A. Blake Aircraft Save Award and Aircraft Assist Award, to recognize ATCs and airfield managers who save imperiled airborne aircraft or aircraft endangered on the ground. The award’s namesake was a base operations officer at Hickam Field, Hawaii, who received the Silver Star for directing a dozen B-17 bombers to safety during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Back at Shaw, McLean received the Air and Space Achievement Medal for the Cessna save. McLean’s fellow watch supervisor, Brian Egger, praised the Airman’s abilities.

“McLean’s ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and his immediate reactions directly saved the lives of two civilians, and prevented the aircraft from crashing,” Egger said in the release.

USAF B-2s Fly with British F-35s Over the North Sea

Dec. 14, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers teamed up with the U.K.’s Royal Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs to fly across Europe’s North Sea in a single-day exercise.

The Bomber Task Force mission saw the Spirits hailing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., join forces with the RAF’s fifth-generation fighters on Dec 13.

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, U.K., providing air-to-air refueling for the mission. Following the mission, one of the B-2s returned to Whiteman on the same day, and another landed at RAF Fairford.

“Strategic bomber missions aim to deter conflict, showcasing our rapid response capability and reinforcing commitment to the U.K. and NATO,” Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said in a release. “Operating alongside RAF fifth-gen fighters enhances our strength through combined training.”

The Air Force’s BTF deployments are part of long-planned exercises, independent from current global events.

The last European BTF before the B-2 mission took pace last month, when American B-1B Lancers deployed to RAF Fairford, U.K. From there, they conducted multiple flights over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The B-1s returned to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in late November.

The USAF and the RAF also participated in a biennial, trilateral exercise with France dubbed ‘Atlantic Trident’ in November. In the 2023 RAF-hosted iteration, scenarios were designed to enhance aircrew training with fourth and fifth-generation jets.

The B-2 Spirit, a long-range nuclear and conventional strike bomber operational since the 1990s, will eventually make way for the B-21 Raider, which will also replace the B-1.

The Air Force is working towards acquiring a minimum of 100 Raiders within the next decade, which would bring its bomber fleet to 175 airframes, including 75 re-engined and upgraded B-52 Stratofortresses.

BTF missions prepare Airmen to execute global operations at a moment’s notice across many regions of the world. By advancing interoperability and integrating allied fifth-gen aircraft, this latest one was aimed at bolstering a coordinated response to potential threats via NATO integration.