Air Force Testing Chief: We’re Boosting Hypersonic Test Capacity

Air Force Testing Chief: We’re Boosting Hypersonic Test Capacity

Oct. 12, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force is adding new air and ground test capabilities and tapping allied ranges to keep up with the needs of its hypersonic programs, while squeezing as much capacity as it can out of existing assets, the head of the service’s test enterprise said Oct. 12.

Hypersonics efforts—along with a half-dozen other new flight test programs already in or entering their flight test phase—are “stressing” the test enterprise, Maj. Gen. Evan C. Dertien, commander of the Air Force Test Center, said in an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine, but initiatives are underway to manage the load.

“We’re making investments across all five areas for the test infrastructure to enable faster testing,” he said. Those areas include:

  • ground test capabilities
  • test aircraft
  • ranges
  • data infrastructure
  • people

Air Force and industry officials have said hypersonics efforts are not making the progress they could because of limited test ranges and test infrastructure, requiring months of waiting time between shots. Former Pentagon science and technology officials have said a consistent and frequent pace of testing is essential to progress in hypersonics.    

Dertien said not all the testing delay is due to range and infrastructure availability.

“The reason you do a test is, either you have the data to confirm success, or when you have a failure,” there’s a need to review the data and “go back and make the changes. So a lot of times you scheduled a test, not because you couldn’t execute another test the same day, but you want to review the data,” he said.

“We wouldn’t make design changes before we go back and do the next test. But I think we’re making investments across all five areas for the test infrastructure to enable faster testing,” he added.

The Air Force has added Global Hawk telemetry aircraft to its test portfolio, along with the ability to use control rooms not physically co-located with where the tests are occurring, Dertien said. New ground capabilities in the form of wind tunnels and high-temperature thermal test systems are also coming on line, and the Air Force is even using space assets to monitor lights and collect data, he said.

“It’s a multi-pronged approach,” he said. The test enterprise is improving instrumentation over both East Coast and West Coast water ranges and “working with our foreign partners on ranges they may have.”

The effort is focused on “delivering the instrumentation you need to do these highly developmental shots right now,” he said.

Col. Douglas P. Wickert, commander of the 412th Test Wing, said Australia is also allowing USAF to use its Woomera range to do overland testing of hypersonic systems, but Dertien said the service is only doing overland tests as necessary for now. More overland testing will be needed in the future, and he said work is being done in concert with the FAA to develop the hypersonic test corridors that may be used for that phase of testing.

“We’re starting to link some ranges together and do some hypersonic testing across ranges right now, but more to follow, as far as which corridors are approved. I don’t want to get ahead of the FAA and other folks that are working on those, but right now, we’re satisfying most of the need on the overwater ranges,” he said.

Wickert said some of the tests in Australia start with an overwater launch and “impact on land” on the Woomera range.

The Air Force is also investing in new wind tunnels and aerodynamic arc heating capabilities at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee, Dertien said, as well as partnering with academic institutions to jointly fund and build infrastructure to test various elements of hypersonic flight.

“Hypersonics is an extremely challenging environment,” he said, “and you’re never going to have one facility that can test to the entire profile.”

The “Dragon Fire” project is being readied to provide extreme temperature arc heating capability to test thermal protection materials, and USAF is also well underway with a “clean-air” variable high-Mach tunnel that will simulate flight conditions for hypersonic vehicles, Derien said.

“This is more of a capacity increase,” he said. “I try to balance our investments across both” capacity and capability, he added.

“The new Dragon Fire facility will dramatically increase our capacity to do … materials testing for all the thermal protection … that you have to put on weapons and different hypersonic vehicles. So that’s in progress right now down at Arnold,” he said.

“The other one I’ll highlight is our new J-5. That’s a hypersonic round test facility to test scramjet engines. And what’s unique about this is, it will probably be the only one in the world [that’s] a clean-air, true-temp test facility. So rather than heating up the air with just a thermal reaction—and you end up getting gas particulates in the air—this will actually be a clean air, true temperature test facility to do hypersonic testing [at] Mach 5+. And that allows us to get much more accurate measurements of the conditions that a hypersonic weapon would experience in flight.”

The facility will also be “variable Mach,” able to shift among Mach 5-plus speeds. That means it won’t require the typical “massive reconfiguration” needed to test at different speeds, Dertien explained.

“It will also increase our capacity, because you will have longer hypersonic runtimes than we do in some of our facilities are right now.”

Both Dragon Fire and J-5 are in “early stages of construction,” Dertien said, but he declined to provide a timeline as to when they’ll be operational, citing security concerns.

In addition to facilities, Dertien said B-52s have been added to help with hypersonic testing, and B-1s are also being modified to carry hypersonic weapons, he said. While it hasn’t been decided if the B-1s will actually be operational platforms for hypersonic missiles, they will be used for testing, Dertien said.

“We’re also leveraging commercial industry [which is] creating platforms for testing hypersonics,” Dertien said.

One such example is StratoLaunch, a startup devoted to high-speed flight tests. Wickert noted that StratoLaunch is located close to Edwards and will have the Talon C “reusable, hypersonic test platform.” He said the influx of commercial entities, a stepped-up Air Force hypersonic program, and rising participation of universities is reminiscent of “the heyday of hypersonic testing in the ‘60s, where we had the X-15 [with] 199 high-speed flights, where we could do materials and sensors and windows and controls, to have a … recurring testbed, that every two weeks you can try something new out. That’s a great capability.”

F-35 Has ‘Changed Completely the Mindset,’ Says Italy’s Air Chief

F-35 Has ‘Changed Completely the Mindset,’ Says Italy’s Air Chief

Oct. 12, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

One of the F-35’s biggest international partners, Italy is expanding plans for the fifth-generation fighter—and using it to draw lessons for a future sixth-gen aircraft, the Italian Air Force’s top officer said Oct. 12. 

Gen. Luca Goretti highlighted the interoperability and versatility of the F-35 during a livestreamed discussion with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and echoed many of the same initiatives that U.S. Air Force leaders have pushed: increased focus on the Indo-Pacific and dispersed airfields with common, prepositioned equipment. 

The F-35 “was used to change the attitude of the overall air force,” Goretti told retired USAF Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula. The Italian Air Force was among the very first in Europe to receive the aircraft and has been a “leading nation” in proving its capabilities. 

“The F-35 has to be considered not only an aircraft, but it has to be considered a node of data information,” Goretti said. “So we use that aircraft to change completely the mindset of the people. It is no longer an aircraft to fly but actually is a data machine available in the air for everyone.” 

Italy contributed more to the F-35’s development than any nation besides the U.S. and United Kingdom. With 90 F-35s on order, it is building the fifth-largest fleet in the world, split between 60 F-35As like those of the U.S. Air Force and 30 F-35Bs, like those of the U.S. Marine Corps, which are capable of short/vertical takeoff and landing.  

The B models are crucial for Goretti’s plans for “Air Expeditionary components,” similar to USAF’s Agile Combat Employment.

“We do have many, many short airfields around the world. So we decided, why don’t we take some Bs for short-distance takeoff and landing in order just to be relevant everywhere in the world,” Goretti said. “The Afghanistan scenario gave us a thought on this. So we decided just to get some Bs. And then it turned out to be a wise idea, because if you consider also what’s happening in Ukraine, airfield dispersion can be maybe one day the only way to protect your high-value assets.” 

Just as the U.S. has emphasized the need for prepositioned equipment to support small or austere airfields, the Italian Air Force is also looking to make sure more places have the infrastructure in place to support the F-35. 

An Italian Air Force F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter taxis to the runway at Norway’s Ørland Air Base during Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023, May 31, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Daniel de La Fé

“We decided just to ask to our logistic people to find standard buildings and structures similar to … several airfields in our country, and proposing the same thing also to other friendly countries, in order just to have the same buildings, the same equipment, the same block in the same spot, in case you do have to run away from your main operating bases,” Goretti said. “We cannot afford to lose time. But most of all, we cannot afford to lose our capacity, only because we haven’t planned accordingly in advance a place to run and protect ourselves.” 

While Goretti cited the example of Ukraine, the need to disperse and operate for different locations may be especially crucial among the vast area of the Pacific. On that front, the Italian Air Force has taken steps as well. In August, a contingent of four Italian F-35s flew to Japan for a training exercise. 

“It was not only just to show the capability to project for the first time European F-35 at so far a distance in the Pacific, but also to see if I was able to sustain this kind of deployment without canceling any other activities that were already in place in Europe,” Goretti said. “That means that I was able to prove to me, convince myself, that my Air Force, especially the logistics system over there, is capable to move fleets and people around without leaving some priorities.” 

Goretti is planning an even bigger demonstration next year—some 25 F-35s to Australia for the RAAF’s Pitch Black exercise. 

“With the geopolitical situation like this today, we cannot afford just to be caught by surprise, to say just in case, some days or one day and say ‘I hope not.’ We have to do something in the Indo-Pacific,” Goretti said. “I cannot afford just to receive an order to deploy somewhere and not be able to move around because of diplomatic clearances, for instance, because I cannot do overflight somewhere.” 

All these lessons on collaboration and flexibility will likely feed into the Global Combat Air Program, a partnership between Italy, the U.K., and Japan on a sixth-generation fighter. While still in its early stages, GCAP is already building on the F-35 and changing the way the Italian Air Force thinks about its future, Goretti said. 

“GCAP no more has to be considered as an aircraft. It is a system of systems, where everybody can play and use the technology and digital information, artificial intelligence, or other means in order to be relevant for the fight of the future,” said Goretti. “With this in mind, the program is not only a way to increase our knowledge on the technical point of view, but also how to increase the knowledge and the power of the people that will fly those kinds of systems.” 

Why Air Force OTS Is Undergoing Its ‘Most Transformational Change’ Ever

Why Air Force OTS Is Undergoing Its ‘Most Transformational Change’ Ever

Oct. 12, 2023 | By David Roza

As new trainees arrived to their first day at Air Force Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., on Oct. 10, they found themselves in the middle of what OTS Commandant Col. Keolani Bailey described as the school’s biggest change in its 64-year history. 

Called OTS-Victory, the new program is meant to give trainees more hands-on experiences; make them better prepared for joint, near-peer conflicts; grow instructors into experts on specific leadership skills; and make it easier for OTS to train more officers in a time of crisis.

“It’s the most transformational change in the history of OTS because every facet of everything we do is different and it’s all done within the same 60 training days,” deputy commandant Col. Derrick Iwanenko told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Same amount of days, same amount of instructors, but because of how the course is now structured … it’s concentrated in a far better manner to produce a better graduate at the end.”

Modules

Unlike the U.S. Air Force Academy and Reserve Officer Training Corps, OTS turns civilians or prior enlisted service members who already have college degrees into Air Force and Space Force officers over the course of 60 days rather than two to four years. The new course is still 60 days long, but the layout is now broken into five modules. 

In the first module, trainees learn the basics of military life such as customs, culture, drill, dorm, and uniform standards. In modules two and three, they are introduced to Air Force organizational structures, wargaming, and basic leadership skills, while module four prepares them to plan and conduct a field exercise called a ‘mission command experience.’ 

ots-victory
An OTS slide shows the breakdown of the five modules that make up OTS-Victory. Graphic courtesy U.S. Air Force

The fifth and final module trains trainees on concepts they will likely encounter in a conflict, including anti-access/area denial, Agile Combat Employment, rapid mobilization, and ‘strategic competition,’ the Department of Defense’s term for competing with near-peer powers such as China and Russia. It also includes a capstone event known as the Commandant’s Challenge, where trainees will test all the skills they learned over the previous 60 days.

Unlike previous editions of OTS, where a single set of instructors taught the entire curriculum, instructors specialize in a certain module in OTS-Victory. Bailey said the change should reduce lesson-planning time, allow instructors to become experts in certain skills, and give them more breathing room in between classes.

“The instructors become so much more efficient and effective,” under the new construct, Bailey said. “Now they become the experts in their two-week modules, and they are able to deliver that content at such a higher level.”

Hands-On Application

The instruction itself will be revamped to tie in more real-life stories from Air Force service. A typical day might begin with a TED Talk-style presentation by an officer or noncommissioned officer about a personal experience that illustrates the leadership lesson of the day. The presentation is meant to help trainees learn through the ‘affective’ domain—what Bailey described as “through the heart.”

After the presentation, the students then hit the classroom to learn the lesson in the cognitive domain—“through the head”—and then they apply those lessons in hands-on experiences meant to target the behavioral domain, “the training piece.”

There is more emphasis on training in OTS-Victory than in previous iterations, Iwanenko said. For example, if the lesson is on change management, there will be an exercise where trainees must plan an operation, but when they go out to execute it, they will get an “intel drop” that will force them to change the operation and implement the lessons they learned earlier.

“The way that we would assess change management previously would be through an academic assessment, a test,” he said. “That’s more just rote memorization. Now we’re purposeful in having them exercise through the behavioral domain, that actual hands-on application, the theory they just learned about in the classroom.”

ots-victory
The first class of Officer Training School-Victory listen for instruction as they in-process at OTS Headquarters, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Oct. 10, 2023. U.S Air Force photo by 2nd Lt Kip Turner

Bailey added that the real learning takes place during the debrief afterwards, where trainees get feedback on their decisions. Another example of the behavioral domain is the mission command exercise during module four. The MCE could take the form of a multi-domain lab, where trainees use flight simulators and command-and-control networks to oversee or execute a mission; a wargame where trainees lead a combined joint task force in a fictional conflict; or a capstone event where trainees practice agile combat employment operations, a concept where Airmen operate from small airfields that may be isolated from higher levels of command. Practice makes perfect, so each trainee will participate in 15 MCEs during the course and lead at least one.

“They plan, they brief, they write mission-type orders, execute the mission, and then debrief,” Bailey said. “They get lots of reps and sets going through this experience so it becomes natural for them to then operate in the joint environment we need for the future fight.”

Shock Absorber

Since OTS takes less time than ROTC and the Air Force Academy, the school acts as a “shock absorber” that can ramp up officer production in times of need, Bailey explained. OTS-Victory amplifies that capability by graduating 20 or 21 smaller class sizes per year–with a surge capacity of 26–instead of five graduations of larger classes a year under the old system. The change should make it easier to schedule trainees and instructors.

“These different levers that we’ve orchestrated into this structure allow us to be more responsive to increases or decreases in demand,” he said.

Under the old model, each graduating class was about 500 to 550 students, while the new model will be about 155, with capacity to max out at 175. The yearly output under the old model was 3,000 students a year, which Bailey said was difficult to meet under the old construct. OTS-Victory should allow the school to meet that goal more easily, with room to scale up if the need arises.

ots-victory
The inaugural class of Officer Training School-Victory in-processes at OTS Headquarters, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Oct. 10, 2023. U.S Air Force photo by 2nd Lt Kip Turner

Under OTS-Victory, there will typically be five different classes in session, each at a different point in the training course. The staggered schedule means trainees in modules four and five are considered ‘upper class’ who can mentor their colleagues in the lower modules, a construct that has not existed at OTS since at least 2009.

There may be growing pains in the months ahead as the school implements the new changes, but Bailey is sure of their course.

“We’re four hours into it with this first day of OTS-Victory, so we’re excited today but I’m sure there’s going to be things that we learn and improve” he said Oct. 10. “But the nice thing about it is the structure that we’ve created has really built in a system of continuous improvement, feedback and growth.

“Everything we do is geared towards building that warrior-minded leader of character,” he added, “one who embodies a disciplined mindset, willing to accept challenges, persevere, and overcome for those they serve.” 

Air Force Two-Star Charged with Sexual Assault

Air Force Two-Star Charged with Sexual Assault

Oct. 11, 2023 | By David Roza

The former head of Air Force pilot training faces charges of alleged sexual assault and drinking alcohol within 12 hours of controlling an aircraft. An Article 32 preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 24 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart was relieved of command of 19th Air Force on May 9 due to “loss of confidences in his ability to lead” by Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, head of Air Education and Training Command (AETC). 19th Air Force is responsible for air crew training for some 30,000 students annually.

AETC said in an Oct. 11 release that Stewart is currently working in a limited capacity at an alternate duty location at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.

At the Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury evidentiary proceeding, the presiding officer will review the evidence to determine if there is enough cause to continue to a court-martial. 

Stewart faces four charges and multiple specifications, according to the charge sheet provided by AETC.

Among them are:

  • Two specifications of violating Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, failing to obey a lawful order or regulation, first for allegedly failing “to refrain from pursuing an unprofessional relationship” and second for allegedly controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol. The first specification allegedly dates to March 6 and May 9, while the second allegedly dates to on or about April 14 at or near Altus Air Force Base, Okla.
  • Two specifications of violating Article 120 of the UCMJ, which covers rape and sexual assault, for alleged nonconsensual sexual contact, dated on or about April 13 and 14 at Altus.
  • One specification of violating Article 133 of the UCMJ, conduct unbecoming an officer, at or near Denver, Colorado, on or about March 6 and March 8, where it alleges that Stewart, “while on official travel, wrongfully invite [redacted] to spend the night alone with him in his private hotel room[.]”
  • And one specification of violating UCMJ Article 134, which refers to “all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces,” for allegedly engaging “in extramarital conduct” on or about April 13 and 14 at or near Altus.

The charges were preferred to the Article 32 hearing on Sept. 21 by Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, head of Air University.

Only one Air Force general officer has ever faced court-martial. In April 2022, Maj. Gen. William Cooley, former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory, was tried and convicted in a military trial of abusive sexual contact for forcibly kissing his sister-in-law in 2018. Cooley’s sentence was to be reprimanded and forced to forfeit $10,910 a month in pay for five months. He was demoted to the rank of colonel upon retiring June 1.

Before Cooley, Maj. Gen. Thomas Fiscus, once the service’s top lawyer, was demoted to colonel and directed to retire in 2005 after an investigation found he had engaged in extramarital relationships with 13 women, some of whom were subordinates. Fiscus, who also received an official reprimand and forfeited some pay, was dealt with administratively, however, and not court-martialed. The following year, in 2006, Brig. Gen. Richard Hassan was demoted to colonel, also by means of nonjudicial punishment, after he engaged in “an unprofessional relationship” and acted in a “sexually harassing” manner with subordinates.

Stewart remains innocent unless proven guilty, AETC’s statement noted on Oct. 11. “Airmen are afforded the right to due process … in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

SDA Director Says He’s Willing to Be the ‘Bad Cop’ to Challenge Pentagon Bureaucracy

SDA Director Says He’s Willing to Be the ‘Bad Cop’ to Challenge Pentagon Bureaucracy

Oct. 11, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency, has made it his mission to spearhead innovation and change in the Pentagon’s approach to space acquisition. In a recent LinkedIn post, he doubled down on that commitment to “constructive disruption”—and pushed back on what he said was internal criticism of his style.

“Change is hard; change is necessary. And nothing fights change like the paralyzing behavior of going along to get along,” Tournear said in the post.

SDA and Tournear have prioritized speed in acquisition over performance, preferring to deliver proven capabilities faster rather than waiting for systems that meet DOD requirements.

SDA
Director of the Space Development Agency Derek Tournear speaks at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Sept. 21, 2022. Staff photo.

Tournear stressed that this transformation sometimes necessitated someone willing to assume the role of the “bad cop.”

“Recently, I was told to stop playing the role of ‘bad cop’ on behalf of the Space Development Agency and our mission. It was suggested that I might damage relationships among my peers,” Tournear wrote, without specifying who told him to do so.

Voicing his frustration with inefficient procedures, Tournear pledged that he would continue to “be a ‘Maverick,’ a ‘wild card,’ and a ‘bad cop’ if it helps SDA meet its mission and serve the warfighter.”

Tournear’s post was applauded by former Air Force chief software officer Nicolas M. Chaillan, who commented that “If you’re liked by 100 [percent], you’re not doing your job.”

Chaillan himself authored a candid Linkedin post in 2021 when he quit his Air Force job, citing the lack of funding for crucial technologies in the joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) as the tipping point for his resignation.

Like Tournear, Chaillan also described facing resistance within the Pentagon bureaucracy as he pushed for a faster development approach. Within software and IT, Chaillan championed DevSecOps, which involves breaking development into smaller pieces and rapid updates, in contrast to slower traditional methods like “waterfall” development.

Similarly, in 2022, Preston Dunlap, the first-ever Chief Architect Officer of the Department of the Air Force, garnered attention with another LinkedIn post highlighting the need for systemic changes to the Pentagon bureaucracy.

Many of his critiques and proposed solutions echo the fast-moving approach both Tournear and Chaillan favor.

Dunlap outlined four steps to overcome bureaucratic obstacles:

  • shock the system
  • change the way acquisitions are carried out
  • prioritize timely delivery
  • overcome obstacles in project development

In his post, Dunlap also advocated for transforming the Pentagon’s acquisition process by embracing commercial technologies, concentrating on outcomes, involving external innovators, and adopting a rapid pace.

Of the three, Tournear is the only one still within the department, and SDA is pushing forward with its approach for at least the next several years as it builds out the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a massive planned satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit.

In September, SDA launched 13 satellites as part of Tranche 0 for that constellation. This was the agency’s second successful launch, with plans for a third launch before the end of 2023.

While Tranche 0 is a test phase for the PWSA, Tranche 1 launches are planned for fall 2024, and Tranche 2 in 2026. Contracts for Tranche 1 have already been awarded, and the agency started handing out deals for the Tranche 2 Transport Layer this summer, tapping Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin for 36 tactical communications satellites each.

Tournear’s goal with PWSA is to deter China and Russia from shooting down satellites by making it more costly to destroy a single satellite than to build one.

To make this strategy work, the SDA aims to keep satellite costs under $15 million each while improving their performance, much like how cell phones have advanced without a significant increase in price over time. The latest Tranche 2 contract was worth $1.55 billion, with an average cost of about $21.5 million per satellite.

All told, SDA has awarded contracts or launched more than 270 satellites, compared to roughly 80 total in the Space Force’s entire inventory.

Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture

TRANCHELAYER# OF SATELLITESCONTRACTORS
0Transport20York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin
Tracking8SpaceX, L3Harris
1Transport126York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
Tracking35L3Harris, Northrop Gumman, Raytheon
Demonstration and Experimentation System12York Space Systems
2Transport72Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin
Transport100TBA
Transport44 (approx.)TBA
Tracking52 (approx.)TBA
Demonstration and Experimentation System20 (approx.)TBA
13th AWACS Jet Flies West to Boneyard, Last of 2023 Divestments

13th AWACS Jet Flies West to Boneyard, Last of 2023 Divestments

Oct. 11, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The Air Force’s E-3 Sentry AWACS fleet is down to just 18 aircraft with the retirement of the last of 13 aircraft to be divested from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., this year.  

The jet left Tinker for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. on Sept. 21. Of the 13 jets, a dozen AWACS aircraft went to Davis-Monthan over the past six months; the remaining one will remain as a static display at Tinker. 

That leaves fewer than 15 AWACS still active at Tinker, long been the Air Force’s main hub for E-3s. The other remaining airframes are assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Kadena Air Base, Japan. 

“By retiring the E-3, the 552nd Air Control Wing can focus on prioritizing the health of the remaining fleet,” the wing said in a release. “Divesting part of the fleet will improve sustainability by adding high demand, low availability parts back into the supply chain, providing a temporary improvement for aircraft availability.” 

The E-3’s mission capable rates plunged below 65 percent in recent years, largely because they’re based on a 707 airframe that first flew in 1957 and has long become commercially obsolete. The Air Force’s AWACS fleet averages more than 40 years old. 

Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mark D. Kelly called the E-3s “unsustainable without a Herculean effort” last year, praising “miracle worker” maintainers for getting the aircraft to fly at all. 

The Air Force plans to replace the E-3s with new E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, based on the Boeing 737.

In a Facebook post, Tinker officials noted that the maintainers with the 552nd ACW are working to “ensure the remaining fleet of AWACS are operationally ready to provide air battle management capabilities anywhere around the globe.” 

The Air Force first announced plans to retire 15 E-3s from Tinker in April 2022, but Congress paused the push with a provision in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act approving only 13 retirements, which were contingent on USAF demonstrating progress acquiring its replacement.    

The Air Force formally awarded a contract to Boeing for the E-7 Wedgetail in late February, clearing the way for the AWACS retirements to begin. Looking ahead to 2024, the Air Force plans to divest two more AWACS to reach its original goal of 15 aircraft divestments. 

“The E-3 is a legacy airframe which can’t compete in a peer or near-peer conflict and cannot be modified to be part of the next generation of Command and Control (C2)/Airborne Moving Target Indicator (AMTI) systems,” Pentagon budget documents state.

The departures from Tinker are bittersweet for Airmen who spent years working in and on the venerable aircraft. The 552nd Air Control Wing noted in a release that Martha “Fran” Stephens, one of the first women to work on the AWACS, got to tour tail number 83-0009 before it departed Sept. 21. 

“If someone tells you they worked on an AWACS, that probably means they worked like a dog,” said Stephens. “They should be respected for that.” 

The E-3 is among a number of aging airframes the Air Force is retiring from active service. Others include KC-10 tankers and E-8 JSTARS battle management and targeting aircraft. Both fleets are set to be retired for good in fiscal 2024. 

Why Recruits Now Deadlift to Join the Air Force

Why Recruits Now Deadlift to Join the Air Force

Oct. 11, 2023 | By David Roza

A tweak to the Air Force accession process meant to help recruits stay safe has also made it easier for women to join more physically-demanding career fields. The Air Force changed its strength aptitude test in January from a clean-and-press style strength test to a deadlift test. While the mode of lifting has changed, the minimum weight required to join the Air Force, 40 pounds, has not.

Air Force Times first reported the change.

Recruits take the strength aptitude test on an incremental lifting machine at Military Entrance Processing Stations to prove they are strong enough for day-to-day military life. The minimum weight requirement increases for career fields that are more physically demanding, though the maximum weight caps off at 110 pounds. Security forces requires 70 pounds, while munitions systems (the Airmen who assemble bombs) requires 60 pounds, and firefighting requires 100 pounds, according to a 2018 study conducted by RAND.

The Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS) told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the change was made in part due to policy guidance from the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The 711th in turn took guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising “a neutral position” where minimal twisting at the legs, torso, or shoulders allows recruits to lift more weight more safely compared to the clean-and-press.

“It has increased our applicant pool, but the most significant impact has been to the job specialty qualifications which are now more gender diverse,” the AFRS public affairs office said.

Since the change took effect in January, 4,111 women have gone through the new strength test, of whom 1,162 accessed into ‘operational’ specialties such as aircraft maintenance, munitions, security forces, and special warfare/combat support, AFRS said, though it was not immediately clear how much of an increase that represented over previous years. 

The Air Force acting chief of staff, Gen. David W. Allvin, referenced the change in written testimony sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee in September, saying the updates “better reflect the actual demands of the career fields thus expanding career field opportunities, especially for our female recruits[.]”

Allvin referred to other changes in the recruiting process, such as body composition and tattoo standards, to help reduce barriers to service. The Air Force missed its Active-Duty recruiting goal by about 10 percent this year, with slightly worse numbers for the Guard and Reserve. The body composition and tattoo standards have allowed in 700 Airmen who might not have been able to join otherwise, the general said.

“Throughout, we have maintained the focus on quality and will follow-up long term to ensure that any changes made thus far have not had a negative impact on readiness or fitness of the force,” he said. “If confirmed, I will ensure continuous review of accession standards and also apply judgment as to when and where we can adjust or waive as appropriate.”

USAF C-17s Fly In and Out of Israel, Fighter Jets En Route to Middle East

USAF C-17s Fly In and Out of Israel, Fighter Jets En Route to Middle East

Oct. 10, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall revealed Oct. 10 that C-17 Globemaster III aircraft have carried out several missions to and from Israel since the militant group Hamas launched surprise attacks over the weekend, sparking an all-out war.

“We’ve had a couple of missions I’m aware of where C-17s have brought some people back from Israel that were there. Beyond that I really can’t get into that area,” Kendall said in an interview with the Atlantic Council, confirming reports from open source flight trackers that noted C-17s flying in and out of Tel Aviv on Oct. 8.

U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to queries from Air & Space Forces Magazine requesting more details about the missions. Kendall declined to reveal more specifics in the interview.

In addition to the C-17s, Kendall did note other adjustments in Air Force deployments in the region as a result of the conflict.

“Some of the units that were due to rotate back to the United States are staying in place and their replacements are going to come in as well, so that they’ll increase our force posture in the region,” Kendall said.

Kendall’s comments follow on an Oct. 8 statement from Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III that stated F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft would flow to the region. A Pentagon official told Air & Space Forces Magazine Oct. 10 that U.S. fighter jets are currently on their way to the region, and it will take days for the aircraft to take situated.

As Air & Space Forces Magazine reported on Oct. 6., F-35 stealth fighters from Hill Air Force Base that had deployed to the Middle East left the region last week. The fighters were there to deter Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf and push back against Russian bullying in the skies over Syria.

U.S. Central Command and the Department of Defense have yet to respond to Air & Space Forces Magazine’s queries regarding whether F-35s jets will deploy to the region in the coming days and if so, where they will come from. F-16s and A-10s are already in the region, but the stealthy F-35 provided more advanced capabilities.

As USAF looks to bolster its force posture in the region, President Joe Biden reaffirmed that the U.S. stands with Israel as he delivered remarks from the White House on Oct. 10. Biden said he reassured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. response to the events will be swift, decisive, and overwhelming.

“We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition, and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome. We are going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens,” he said.

On the same day, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also noted the provision of interceptors for the Iron Dome missile defense shield. Sullivan also expressed Washington’s commitment to exploring further ways to enhance Israel’s air defense capabilities at a White House news conference.

“We will be flowing in additional Iron Dome interceptors so that [the Israelis] have the capabilities they need to sustain their Iron Dome defense systems,” he said. “We’re also looking at other ways that we can help augment their air defense capabilities.” 

A Pentagon senior official previously stated that there is continuous and close coordination with Israeli counterparts to address their most pressing needs, adding that “planes have already taken off” with equipment.

During his White House address, Biden also confirmed 14 Americans were killed among more than 1,000 civilian deaths in the surprise Hamas attack, and others were taken hostage. Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan told CNN that the number of hostages is estimated at between 100 and 150 as of Oct. 9.

After 30+ Years in Middle East, KC-10 Completes Final Deployment

After 30+ Years in Middle East, KC-10 Completes Final Deployment

Oct. 10, 2023 | By Greg Hadley

The KC-10 Extender took another step toward retirement last week, as the venerable tanker finished off its last ever deployment. 

A KC-10 from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., conducted the aircraft’s final combat sortie from Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 3. The 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, which has flown the KC-10 since 2003, then held a formal deactivation ceremony Oct. 4, and the last KC-10 departed the base Oct. 5. 

A spokesperson from Air Mobility Command confirmed to Air & Space Forces Magazine that the KC-10 fleet has no more planned deployments before September 2024, when the last Extender will be retired. It may still be used for off-station training, contingency responses, or coronets—missions in which a group of fighters are assigned one or multiple tankers to fly with them over an ocean to ensure the smaller aircraft have enough fuel.

The KC-10 has been flying in the Middle East for Air Forces Central for more than 30 years, starting with Operation Desert Storm, though the aircraft has not always been permanently stationed there. The airframe moved to PSAB in March 2022, after previously operating from Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. Aircraft and Airmen from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Travis Air Force Base, Calif., have regularly rotated through the base. 

AFCENT still has the KC-135, which flies from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, as part of the 379th Expeditionary Air Wing. The AMC spokeswoman told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the command is “confident we can continue to meet Global Combatant Command requirements with our current tanker fleet. Our KC-135 fleet will provide tanker support from Al Udeid and Prince Sultan Air Base.” 

Demand for aerial refueling in the region may increase in the coming weeks, as both the Air Force and Navy move additional fighters into the area in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel. 

The KC-10’s departure from the Middle East continues a steady winddown for the Extender fleet, which is being retired to make way for the KC-46 Pegasus. Back in May, the aircraft flew its last sortie from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and the final tanker departed the base in June—leaving Travis as the last home base for the fleet. 

The Extender, referred to by many Airmen as “Big Sexy,” has been in the USAF fleet for 42 years. It can carry more than 356,000 pounds of fuel, almost twice the amount a KC-135 can haul, and nearly 170,000 pounds of cargo, almost matching the capacity of a C-17. 

The Air Force is in the midst of modernizing its tanker fleet. In addition to the KC-46, the service has launched a KC-135 Tanker Recapitalization Program and started work on the Next Generation Air-refueling System, or NGAS. 

Now comes the work of transitioning to the new KC-46 Pegasus.

“The KC-10 will continue to fly for the next year until all the tails have retired and crews have cross-trained into the KC-46,” said Maj. Joseph Rush, the last commander of the 908th EARS, in a statement. “It’s exciting for our community, as we get to take a lot of the best parts of the KC-10 culture we’ve built over the last 42 years and bring those best practices and experiences to a brand new weapons system.”