http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/airforce/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:31:15 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051256/posts One of the more dangerous phenomena in aviation is an F-16 pilot whose marksmanship is better than his situational awareness. Two soldiers discovered this on the Utah Test and Training Range one night in April 2007. An F-16 pilot lost sight of his target while rolling into a strafing run using night-vision goggles, acquired their rented GMC Suburban instead, and converted it to Swiss cheese. Ares - A Defense Technology Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051256/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:31:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049780/posts Duke Field Airmen from the 711th Special Operations Squadron dropped the last operational Bomb Live Unit-82 from an MC-130E Combat Talon I July 15 at the Utah Test and Training Range. Nicknamed "Commando Vault" in Vietnam and "Daisy Cutter" in Afghanistan, the BLU-82 is a 15,000-pound bomb, and because of its size, the bomb was dropped by parachute from the aircraft. "We in the Air Force Reserve Command feel fortunate to have been chosen to drop the last operational Daisy Cutter," said Col. Jon Weeks, the 919th Special Operations Wing vice commander and mission commander on the drop. "Our people... Argghh! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049780/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:16:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049310/posts Tonight ABC aired their interview with Sen. Barack Obama with correspondent Terry Moran conducting; here is a clip of the segment that ran on ABC's World News Tonight: Moran: If you had to do it over again, knowing what you know now, would you support the surge? Obama: No. Because, keep in mind that -- Moran: You wouldn't? The Pittsburgh Tribune Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049310/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:56:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047913/posts The Air Force's top leadership sought for three years to spend counterterrorism funds on "comfort capsules" to be installed on military planes that ferry senior officers and civilian leaders around the world, with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules' carpet and leather chairs, according to internal e-mails and budget documents. The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047913/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:45:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044844/posts If YouTube proved the natural home of anyone who happened to find himself in simultaneous possession of a camera phone, some Mentos, and a can of Diet Coke, then the not-yet-two-year-old LiveLeak.com is digging a foxhole for itself. It's become a meeting place for those who blow stuff up and those who like to watch it explode. Troops in the field in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most valued content providers on LiveLeak. The site's unsqueamish emphasis on raw video - it does have some rules, not that you would notice - makes it a destination spot for short... The New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044844/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:44:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043226/posts Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that the Pentagon will hold a new, fast-tracked competition to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers, a move that overturns the previous award of the contract to Northrop Grumman. The decision follows criticism of the selection process by the Government Accountability Office and underscores the sharp divisions over the contract. The deal to replace the Air Force's entire fleet could be worth up to $100 billion over the next two decades. Gates said he expects the Pentagon to choose a new winner by the end of the year. On... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043226/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:22:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035216/posts WASHINGTON: John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is fending off charges that he pushed the U.S. Air Force into a faulty $35 billion deal for midair refueling planes. Democrats weighed in after the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan arm of Congress, found last week that the air force had made "significant errors that could have affected the outcome of what was a close competition" between Boeing and a combination of Northrop Grumman and European Aerospace & Defense Systems, or EADS, which was awarded the contract. The Democratic National Committee accused McCain of "mimicking" EADS, the corporate parent of Airbus,... IHT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035216/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:29:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034719/posts WASHINGTON — Ever since the Army lost its warplanes to a newly independent Air Force after World War II, soldiers have depended on the sister service for help from the sky, from bombing and strafing to transport and surveillance. But the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have frayed the relationship, with Army officers making increasingly vocal complaints that the Air Force is not pulling its weight. In Afghanistan, Army officers have complained about bombing missions gone awry that have killed innocent civilians. In Iraq, Army officers say the Air Force has often been out of touch, fulfilling only half of... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034719/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:58:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034532/posts SLOWLY AND painfully, the U.S. Army has adapted itself to the unconventional wars the country has faced since Sept. 11, 2001. Following a reorganization of forces, a rewrite of doctrine and the emergence of new commanders such as Gen. David H. Petraeus, American ground troops are winning counterinsurgency wars in Iraq and eastern Afghanistan -- and are recognized as state-of-the-art by NATO allies. In contrast, the U.S. Air Force, which dominated the 1990s with its smart bombs and stealth planes, has lost its way in the new century. Its top leaders have remained stubbornly focused on the production of advanced... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034532/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:13:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032820/posts - The chemical concerns some, but an official says it's safe and effective. NEWPORT NEWS - That heart- stopping roar you may have heard overhead Monday could mean fewer mosquito bites for the next two weeks. Langley Air Force Base deployed C-130 planes over Hampton, Poquoson and York County as part of a three-day mission to spray Hampton Roads with an insecticide that kills mosquitoes on contact. The planes whiz by at 200 mph and 150 feet from the ground to diffuse about a half-ounce of the chemical Dibrom per acre, said Mitch Burcham, pest control supervisor with Langley Air... DailyPress http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032820/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:31:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029512/posts The classic World War II-era poster reminded talkative dock workers that "loose lips sink ships." Well, loose nukes present an even more imposing problem, one with continent-cracking possibilities. Last week, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates requested and received the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, Gates' office cited as a reason a Pentagon investigation of lax standards in Air Force oversight of nuclear weapons. One incident involved a USAF bomber with cruise missiles over-flying a wide swath of the United States -- and the crew didn't know the weapons... Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029512/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:52:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029077/posts PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colorado (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates stood alone on an empty stage in an Air Force auditorium, two spotlights throwing odd diminutive shadows of the Pentagon chief on the curtain draped behind him. Looking tired and worn out, he faced another cold crowd of officers whose force has fallen from grace and whose leaders Gates swept aside last week in a stinging rebuke of their management of nuclear weapons. He glanced over the gathering of uniformed personnel at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, took a breath and plodded slowly into a speech... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029077/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:58:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028921/posts Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Monday that he plans to “immediately stop” all further reductions in Air Force personnel. Gates made his promise while addressing airmen at Langley Air Force Base, Va., late Monday afternoon to discuss his ouster of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley. Along with the usual airmen lost through normal attrition, Air Force leaders had planned to cut an additional 6,800 airmen from the rolls in fiscal 2009, Capt. Michael Andrews, an Air Force spokesman for personnel matters told Stripes on Monday. Of those, 4,700 would have been enlisted... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028921/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:14:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028383/posts WASHINGTON -- In a sign of how urgently he wants to shake up the Air Force, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today he was appointing the first non-fighter pilot to become the service's chief of staff in more than 25 years. The nomination of Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, who is currently head of the Pentagon's transportation command and rose through the ranks as a pilot of military cargo planes, marks a significant break for the Air Force, which has been led by fighter and bomber pilots almost since its inception after World War II. In his announcement naming Schwartz,... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028383/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jun 2008 17:24:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027482/posts Nuclear arms mistakes were reason for dismissals, but deeper divide over service's mission was at play, officers and analysts say. By Bob DeansWASHINGTON BUREAU Saturday, June 07, 2008 WASHINGTON — In April, Defense Secretary Robert Gates traveled to Maxwell Air Force Base near Montgomery, Ala., to address an elite group of majors and colonels attending the Air War College in preparation for promotions to command positions. For months, Gates had been at odds with Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and Gen. Michael Moseley, the Air Force chief of staff, over how to increase the use of unmanned aerial... The Austin American-Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027482/posts#comment Sat, 7 Jun 2008 05:58:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027249/posts A word on today's purging of USAF leadership. Official line is that Air Force brass let the nuclear mission slip in the years since the Berlin wall fell. That's true, for a variety of reasons. Standing down Strategic Air Command, the post-Vietnam leadership handoff from nuclear bomber pilots to fighter pilots, the odd square peg that is the kinetic-effects-based Air Force in the round hole of the low-intensity war on terrorism, and the end of the Cold War... all contributed to an overall deemphasis on strategic operations. Still, this is a really old school way of doing business. Back during... Weekly Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027249/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jun 2008 19:30:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027091/posts June 3, 2008: South Korean intelligence is trying to get their hands on North Korea's new GPS jammer. These items are used to spoil the aim of GPS guided bombs and missiles. The U.S., NATO, Israel and several Middle Eastern nations (friendly to the U.S.) are big users of such guided weapons. The North Korean device is being offered to Middle Eastern Nations (as in Syria, Iran and Hizbollah), and is touted as superior to the Russian model (which Iraq had, and used, without much success, in 2003). The Russians have since improved their technology, but the U.S. believes it's... Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2027091/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jun 2008 15:25:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023395/posts When the moment finally came to meet the most powerful man in the United States, Theodore Shiveley had just two words for him: "Chest bump." As the Richardson 22-year-old's class of Air Force Academy graduates streamed across a stage, many asked President Bush to do something unusual for them. Some stashed pens in their socks so he could sign their hats. One even called his parents and asked the president to say hello on a cellphone. Lt. Shiveley opened his arms and got the president to engage in a hearty chest bump with him. "Hey, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance," said... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023395/posts#comment Fri, 30 May 2008 05:59:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019490/posts MILTON, Vt. (AP) — For fighter pilots, the difficulty in answering nature’s call is as old as flying itself. After all, there are no rest areas when you’re zooming through the sky at 500 mph. Over the decades, pilots have used bottles and bags — or just held it. Many avoid liquids, or make sure their last stop before climbing into the cockpit is a bathroom. Now a Vermont company has come up with a 21st-century solution that pilots can use without unstrapping themselves from their seats. The system uses special underwear equipped with a hose linked to a pump... Cnews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019490/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 01:57:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011289/posts The war in Iraq has spawned a violent Shiite-Sunni showdown there and a rift between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill — and now it’s heating up the long-simmering rivalry between the Army and the Air Force and their powerful patrons in Congress. A showdown is brewing, as the Senate Armed Services Committee kicks off the annual defense appropriations cycle this week. The issue is money and the control of production and basing for the unmanned aerial vehicles that are becoming central to U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the subject of an increasingly heated tug of war between... The Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011289/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 03:18:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007057/posts April 25, 2008 AFA Members, Congressional Staffers, Civic Leaders, and DOCA members, 2 weeks ago General Dave Petraeus testified before Congress - many times. Much of the testimony was carried on TV, and the press reported widely on his and Ambassador Crocker's words. Like many of you, I was too busy to catch but snippets of the testimony. So I sought additional information to better help me understand what his central messages were. I found the slides that he used to brief Members of Congress - and have put them on our website at: http://www.afa.org/PresidentsCorner/Other/Petraeus.pdf They contain a lot of... Air Force Association http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007057/posts#comment Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:56:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004815/posts WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are "stuck in old ways of doing business."Gates said in a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that getting the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been "like pulling teeth."Addressing officer students at the Air Force's Air University, the Pentagon chief praised the Air Force for its overall contributions but made a point of urging it to do more and to... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004815/posts#comment Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:55:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004810/posts Highlighting reasons the U.S. Air Force selected the KC-45 Tanker as best for our men and women in uniform. WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman's bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing's in four of the five most important selection criteria. Despite this fact, the losing bidder wants the Government Accountability Office to overturn the Air Force decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman. Starting today and regularly in the coming weeks, “Why We Won” will provide detailed examples of why Northrop Grumman was selected, drawing... The Earth Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004810/posts#comment Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:44:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004712/posts Pentagon chief says Air Force should do more By ROBERT BURNS 16 minutes ago Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are "stuck in old ways of doing business." Gates complained in a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that getting the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been "like pulling teeth." The Pentagon chief praised the Air Force for its overall contributions but made a point of urging it to... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004712/posts#comment Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:19:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004161/posts 6th Annual Rally for the Troops will be held on Sunday April 20, 2008 at 11:00 PM in downtown Cleveland’s Public Square. Free Parking at Tower City Parking lots. Last year an estimated 5000 motorcyclist attended the Rally. Bikes will stage at 8:30 AM from Cleveland Harley Davidson Sales Company (W145 and Lorain), Lake Erie Harley Davidson (Avon Ohio); South East Harley Davidson (Bedford Hts. Ohio) and Western Reserve Harley Davidson (Mentor Ohio). Bikes will depart for downtown Cleveland at 9:30 AM. Jim Mantel of WGAR will MC the Rally and Monica Robins of WKYC will sing the National Anthem.... motorcycleevents.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004161/posts#comment Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:01:41 GMT