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Shooting down enemy aircraft over American soil is an event U.S.-based alert pilots train for. They run exercise scenarios on a constant basis, preparing for that call to scramble. But all the dry runs in the world can't prepare a pilot for that moment when a live missile is released from the jet. That's why the 148th Fighter Wing out of Duluth, Minn., is spending two weeks here working with the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. "We came here to shoot missiles and drop live ordnance to be better prepared for our Air Sovereignty Alert mission," said Lt. Col. Reed Bowman,...

Airforce officials are keeping quiet about a commander with the Alabama Air National Guard who could possibly face charges following an investigation that he had received nearly $96,000 in unauthorized compensatory time and had regularly flown an F-16 on personal trips.The Montgomery Advertiser obtained a report via the Freedom of Information Act, in which an unamed wing commander of the 187th Fighter Wing, was ultimately found to have committed four violations of National Guard and Air Force regula­tions.

U.S. Air National Guard C-130H crews are being given increased situational awareness during airlift, airdrop and other operations by Northrop Grumman. The company said it had been given a $12.7 million cost-plus fixed-fee contract from the Defense Micro-Electronics Activity to integrate software and hardware that will enable real-time tactical information to be displayed in the C-130H cockpit and navigator station. The displays will provide information obtained from Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol and Situational Awareness Data Link communications, allowing the C-130 crew to not only see the theater tactical picture but also electronically identify its position to others within the...

The South Carolina Air National Guard recently returned from a combat deployment utilizing Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Sniper pods on the F-16 Fighting Falcon. This marks the first time Sniper pods have been used in combat by an Air National Guard unit. While in theater, the 169th Fighter Wing employed the Sniper pod’s non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR) capabilities, relaying high resolution streaming video for rapid coordination with ground troops. “The Sniper pod did exactly what we needed it to do,” said Brigadier General Scott Williams, Commander, 169th Fighter Wing, South Carolina Air National Guard. “For a pod that...

Raytheon will install a large, colour display in Lockheed Martin F-16 cockpits, a key enabler for future sensor upgrades. The US Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve selected Raytheon's 6 x 8in (15.2 x 20.3cm) centre pedestal display for a requirement to upgrade hundreds of F-16 Block 30s. Including spares, Raytheon believes the two services could order as many as 720 displays over the next six years. The potential for foreign sales is comparable or even greater, says Tom Lansing, the company's business development senior manager for customised engineering and depot support.

Raytheon Company has won a contract to upgrade the Center Display Unit (CDU) of U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard F-16 aircraft. The initial contract value is $3.1 million for system integration and pre-production units. The contract includes options for production of up to 120 systems per year for five years. The Raytheon CDU will replace multiple analog flight instrument displays currently used in the F-16 cockpit with a single large-LCD color display. Advanced technology will provide pilots with new capabilities, including the ability to overlay data from both onboard and remote sensors on a digital moving map,...

The Raptor has landed. The first of 20 F-22 Raptor fighter jets that will be based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam touched down yesterday, bringing with it the start of a new chapter in Hawaii Air National Guard fighter history reaching back to 1946. The Territory of Hawaii Air National Guard was established that year, a year ahead of the official creation of the U.S. Air Force, officials said. Two of the stealthy fighters are expected to be in Hawaii for a dedication ceremony Friday. The aircraft, "tail" numbers 045 and 046, are about 7 years old and were receiving...

By backpedaling on a campaign promise to move a U.S. Marine Corps airbase from Okinawa, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama may have nonetheless secured additional airborne cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile defenses for Japan. China is seen as the cruise missile threat since it has developed a new, faster, long-range weapon that can be launched from its Su-27MKK strike fighter fleet. North Korea has the greater fear factor, however, because of its suspected nuclear ballistic missile capability and its government’s erratic behavior and apparent aggressions, such as the alleged sinking of a South Korea warship. Okinawa is already home...

Villagers who suffer from the jet noise in the north end of town, and all those with sensitive ears only have to put up with the ruckus a little bit longer. The Dutch pilots who have been training at the Springfield-Beckley Airport with the 178th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard will move to Arizona soon after September 2010. The move was announced on Sunday, May 2, on the Web site F16.net and was confirmed this Tuesday by am Air National Guard spokesman. Soon after the Dutch joined American pilots already training at the airport five years ago,...

The Springfield Air National Guard Base will now be home to two long-term missions: a National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) mission, as well as a new MQ-1 mission. In addition, the SANG Base will receive an extension of its mission for the maintenance of F-16 aircrafts, which will be fully funded until 2011, as well as additional funding for the construction of new facilities for future missions. “I have been working diligently with the U.S. Air Force and the National Guard in an effort to secure new long-term, sustainable missions at the Springfield Air National Guard Base,” Austria...

The Royal Netherlands Air Force will soon resume F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot training here at Tucson International Airport after a five-year absence.Dutch pilots were the first in a long line of international students to ever train with the 162nd Fighter Wing. Starting in 1989, they were a mainstay program at the Arizona Air National Guard unit for 18 years until they moved to Springfield, Ohio, for a five-year agreement to train with the Ohio Air National Guard's 178th Fighter Wing. "We have a long and very successful history with the Dutch. We're looking forward to reestablishing our relationship with their...

Ever since early in the Korean War (1950-53), the United States has enjoyed a massive air superiority over every enemy we've fought. Those days may be coming to an end. "The Air Force won't be able to do all its assigned tasks as comprehensively as it once did, and will be aiming for simple sufficiency in areas where it's been accustomed to dominance," Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, said in a recent interview. Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute, a defense think tank, said, "This is akin to the head of the French air force saying...

With the size of the F-22 stealth fighter force capped, U.S. Air Force officials are going to muscle up the service’s air dominance force via Air National Guard F-15C Golden Eagles upgraded with advanced, long-range radars. Because of the larger size of the Boeing F-15s’ radar and the aircraft’s greater flight endurance, they also will serve as “stand-in” electronic warfare jamming and attack aircraft as part of the Air Force’s composite air dominance force that also includes stealthy Lockheed Martin F-22s stationed at Langley AFB, Va. Each fighter type will shoulder 50% of the air dominance mission now that the...

Two Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcons set out from Hill Air Force Base on April 27 for a new home. They were reassigned to the South Dakota Air National Guard at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls. The F-16s are the first of 24 jets currently assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing scheduled to be transferred or retired from the base in fiscal year 2010 to comply with the Air Force's combat air force restructure plan announced last June. Under the Air Force plan a total of 259 aircraft will be retired including 138 F-16s, 112 F-15 Eagles and nine...

The Air National Guard is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the battle over whether to terminate or keep building the 5th generation F-22 fighter. In a June 19 letter to Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt advocates the purchase of F-22 fighters to secure the Guard's homeland defense mission in the future. According to Wyatt the ANG is facing a serious risk of becoming unable to fulfill the Nations highest strategic priority: defending the Homeland. Wyatts concern is well founded. Within about eight years 80 percent of the ANG's F-16 inventory,...

A team of four pilots from the Idaho Air National Guard’s 190th Fighter Squadron took top honors last week in the biennial “Hawgsmoke” competition, earning bragging rights as the best ground attack and target destruction. The team placed first out of 14 four-pilot air crews from U.S. Air Force installations over the world. All of the teams fly the A-10 ground-attack aircraft, also known as the “Warthog.” --- SNIP --- "This win validates the training we do here in Idaho, the great men and women in our ranks and some of the world’s best aircraft,” he said in a press...

US Air National Guard to trial Beechcraft AT-6 for counter-insurgency By Stephen Trimble The US Air National Guard has received special funds to stage a demonstration of the turboprop-powered Hawker Beechcraft AT-6 for the domestic security and counter-insurgency mission. Kansas-based Senator Sam Brownback earmarked $3 million for the ANG to demonstrate the capabilities of the AT-6, which is assembled in Wichita, Kansas. The AT-6 is among at least four contenders to fill an emerging role in US and foreign airborne inventories for a dedicated counter-insurgency aircraft. The US Air Force is conducting a competition for such an aircraft on behalf...

SPANGDAHLEM, Germany – Tracking and pursuing enemy forces on the ground should be easier for A-10 pilots with the 81st Fighter Squadron when they go downrange early next year. By the time they deploy, leaders hope the unit’s 18 aircraft will be outfitted with new targeting systems. Three already have been installed with six more on the way. The technology allows pilots to deploy laser-guided munitions, pursue moving targets at night with infrared imaging and stabilize points on the ground while maneuvering. The information is routed from a targeting pod attached under the wing to a monitor in the one-man...

Just saw a military aircraft headed for Midway. 4 engine prop driven, about the size of a 737. Can anyone send me mfg/model/age ID on it?

F-16s deployed from the Oklahoma Air National Guard's 138th Fighter Wing were involved in a strike on terrorist training camp Saturday, the U.S. Air Force reported Tuesday. The jet attack destroyed an al-Qaeda training camp southwest of Baghdad, the Air Force says in a press release. The 138th Fighter Wing is based in Tulsa. About 190 people from the unit were sent to Iraq in June. In a coordinated attack, Air Force joint air terminal controllers on the ground cleared four F-16s to drop 500-pound and 1,000-pound guided bombs on the terror complex near Karbala, the release says. The precision...

Two Coast Guard helicopters and a cutter are racing to an area 46 miles off the northern Oregon Coast for an Oregon Air National Guard F-15 that went into the sea about 1:30 this afternoon. There was only a pilot on board during a training mission. The Coast Guard said a parachute was seen. The F-15 was from the Air Guard's Portland base.

They are cops, firefighters, doctors, lawyers, blue-collar and white-collar. They're New Yorkers from all walks of life who share a commitment to serving America. And this week they were deploying to Afghanistan to conduct search-and-rescue missions as members of the New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing. Headquartered at Gabreski ANG Base in Westhampton Beach, L.I., these citizen-airmen answer the call stateside in peacetime, along the Eastern Seaboard, northward to Newfoundland and south to Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, where their copters saved 161 people. In war, they fly to the rescue of troops on the ground, including those wounded on...

4/24/2007 - MOFFETT AIR FIELD, Calif. (AFNEWS) -- Air National Guardsmen here worked with an aircraft that was vastly different from the MC-130P Combat Shadow tankers, HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and other Air Force aircraft they are accustomed to. Airmen from the 129th Rescue Wing were deploying to Afghanistan and needed aircraft to transport HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters. Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have kept C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy aircraft extremely busy, and the high operations tempo of these aircraft led to the scheduling of contracted cargo airlift, said Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Przymus, the...

Traitors of Record: The Record of the New York TimesBy Fedora “. . .the most untrustworthy paper in the United States. . .” --President Dwight Eisenhower, referring to the New York TimesIntroductionLast week Senator John Cornyn criticized the New York Times for endangering national security with a James Risen story on NSA surveillance timed to coincide with a vote on the Patriot Act and, incidentally, with the release of a book by Risen. A review of the record illustrates that endangering national security through irresponsible leaks is nothing new for the New York Times. Some particularly outrageous examples are worth...

ARLINGTON, Va. — Battling recruiting and retention shortfalls among its part-time soldiers, the Army is launching a new experimental policy approving the acceptance of not-so-young recruits into the ranks of the Army National Guard and Reserve. Dubbed a three-year “test,” the new policy will bump up the maximum age for new enlistments from 34 years to 39 years, according to an Army announcement. The policy applies to both men and women joining the military for the first time. The older recruits will be eligible for the same enlistment bonuses and other incentives as younger volunteers, according to the announcement. Those...

OIL CITY -- Cheers and tears greeted the returning soldiers of Battery C, 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in Oil City Thursday. The unit spent nearly 13 months on a tour of duty in Iraq. A crowd estimated at close to 1,000 lined State Street on Oil City's south side, braving frigid temperatures for hours waiting for the buses to bring the troops back home. Mixed in with the crowd were the families of Sgt. David Kradel, Spc. Rovert McIntyre and Spc. Thomas Fuller, three Titusville-area soldiers returning home from deployment. McIntyre, a 16-year...

Hoaxes Propped Up CBS's Fraudulent Memos (Part III) Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minutes Hit Piece on President Bush's ANG Record based on Left-Wing Media Hoaxes. By Col. John H. Wambough, Jr. USAF (Ret.) October 31, 2004 380 Tons of RDX and HMX Missing Hoax Sugarcoated Officer Efficiency Report Hoax Left-Wing Media (LWM) treachery, deception and distortion laid a solid foundation for Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minute fabricated story and fraudulent memos. Thousands of communications misled the American people about George W. Bush's (GWB's) service in the Air National Guard (ANG). LWM fraudulently orchestrated so many hoaxes on President Bush's Air...

Airmen use GBU-38 in combat by Capt. Mae-Li Allison379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs 10/4/2004 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- During one particular night shift recently, a team primarily composed of Air National Guardsmen conducted the first successful drop of a GBU-38 bomb in combat. The majority of the people connected to the effort came from the Alabama Air National Guard and were supplemented by Airmen from Illinois and Wisconsin. They worked together to put two 500-pound bombs on target and into the history books, officials said. Two F-16 Fighting Falcons performed a simultaneous GBU-38 release on the same target in central Iraq....

A retired National Guard officer now living in East Tennessee is weighing into the debate over President Bush's service record. Volunteer TV's Eric Waddell says the man who swore then-Lieutenant George Bush into the Air National Guard, is rising to the President's defense from his Blount County home. Retired Colonel Ed Morrisey served in the Air National Guard and is familiar with the President's record since the beginning of his service. Opposite a portrayal of a soldier not performing his duty he describes a flyer, near the top of his class. Retired Colonel Morrisey has trained, developed and commanded lots...

"Why would a physical exam present a problem for 1st Lt. Bush? A little-know fact reported in the London Times and the New York Post on June 18, 2000 gives a powerful clue. In April 1972 – the same month that Bush "gave up" flying – all the overseas and stateside military services began subjecting a small random sample in their ranks to substance abuse testing for alcohol and drugs. The Pentagon had announced its intention to do so initially back on December 31, 1969. If Bush reported for his scheduled physical in August 1972, he could have been subject...

Fox and Freiends now

Dean's former campaign Manager just mentioned a "theory" he heard that the documents were actually made in 1972, but were later scanned, changing the font. Can you believe how desperate the liberals are? Did it also change the terminology from Air Force to Army? Did it also change the signature? Did it also change the retirement date for General Staudt? They will never concede the documents are forgeries. This will live on in liberal mythology forever. Like the October Surprise.

This poll needs Freeping, unless of course someone has already posted this poll: Concerning the president's service in the National Guard: a. We have all the information (39%) 28,891 b. We have as much information as available (20%)15,112 c. The president should speak directly to this and end the talk (11%) 8,342 d. We are not getting all the info on this (9%) 6,596 e. None of the above (21%) 15,378 74,319 total votes

Why isn't anybody pointing out one of the most, if not the most, obvious issue? First, most of you have heard by now that a handwriting expert cannot authenticate a photocopy. But we also keep hearing how CBS's handwriting expert "authenticated" Killian's signature. How can that be, you ask? Well, he didn't. The most he could have done would be to say the signatures were consistent. That's not the same thing as authenticating. There's a simple reason for this--on a photo copy the signature can be genuine but fraudulent (in fact, most forgeries these days probably are that way). The...

CNN just reported that CBS is coming under fire for its document experts. It interviewed one of them, who insisted she told CBS there were problems, and it referenced another who says he told CBS before they ran the story that if they put them out on Wednesday, 100 document examiners would be asking the same questions he was on Thursday. But most importantly, I think, was a quote from Marcel Matley, who said he told them he could not authenticate the signatures ONLY THAT THEY CAME FROM THE SAME SOURCE. This is HUGE. Basically, all Matley appears to have...

Every time I read comments about joining the Air National Guard to avoid fighting in Vietnam my stomach turns over and I work to control my rage. Make that comment to the families of Major Bobby Neeld or Major Clyde Seiler, as well as Capt Mitchell Lane, Capt Perry Jefferson, Capt Michael Adams, or Lt Warren Brown. All of these individuals were members of the Air National Guard flying, fighting, and dying for their country in Vietnam and have their names etched on the wall of the Vietnam War Memorial. But that can’t be…”Individuals joined the Air National Guard to...

Something weird happened on Fox News last week that had me commenting to a friend at the time that the Dems seemed to be "losing it." I'll recreate it as best I can from memory. Forgive me if the quotes aren't verbatim. Bob Beckel was in an exchange with Rich Lowry (who was sitting in for Sean Hannity), hammering the typical Democratic line about Bush having assasinated Kerry's character with scurrilous charges, blaming the Bush team for the Swifties and hurling angry invective about how the Republicans' normal m.o. was to attack the patriotism of true patriots, like Kerry and...

Dan Rather, Professional Journalist, and CBS News, Professional News Network, want us to keep believing that they are the ordained purveyors of truth. They are the mature and responsible mavens of media ethics. They are the information gatekeepers with unparalleled judgment, dedicated to the high principles of The Craft of Journalism, unwavering in their crusade for the public interest. As the saying goes in the blogosphere: Bwah-hah-hah. With a click of the mouse and easy-to-use Web log software, Internet-savvy citizens across America and around the world are relentlessly unmasking the frauds of snob journalism as never before. The wall between...

Bush was not AWOL nor did he refuse to take physical due to an alleged drug test. Bush's known actual documents speak for themselves and the forgeries actual support Bush's honorable service.

I got the docs right here The font’s a little queer But there’s guy named Dan Who can’t resist a smear Will do Will do This guy says the docs Will do If he says the docs Will do Will do Will do I used a superscript I might have really slipped But CBS didn’t care In fact they really flipped Will do Will do This guy says the docs Will do If Dan says the docs Will do Will do Will do Now the DNC Says they’ll deny it’s me But will anyone buy a Rove Conspiracy? Superscript! Supersmear!...

LAS VEGAS - President Bush (news - web sites), his Vietnam-era military service the subject of dispute, said Tuesday he is proud of his stint in the Air National Guard and told members strained by today's wars that he is trying to make their lives easier. "Nineteen individuals have served both in the National Guard and as president of the United States, and I am proud to be one of them," Bush said in prepared remarks of his speech to the National Guard Association of the United States conference. Members of the Guard are fighting in Afghanistan (news - web...

Retired Guard Officer Says He Saw Some Files Discarded in TrashRetired National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett said Tuesday that in 1997, then Governor Bush's chief of staff Joe Allbaugh told the National Guard chief to get the Bush file and make certain that 'there is not anything in there that will embarass the governor.'Col. Burkett said that a few days later at Camp Mabry in Austin, he saw Mr. Bush's file and documents from it discarded in a trash can.He said he recognized the documents as retirement point summaries and pay forms.Bush aides denied any destruction of records in...

I have a feeling that the biggest news of last week had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the media. We are in the middle of an insurgency against the occupation of the airwaves by that amorphous group called--in blogspeak--MSM, or mainstream media. And the latest direct hit has exploded in the illustrious offices of Dan Rather and CBS News. A brief recap: Last week, CBS News reported on fascinating and newly discovered documents that purported to show that George W. Bush did not perform his military service in the Texas National Guard adequately and that...

Tuesday, September 14, 2004; Page A08 The lead expert retained by CBS News to examine disputed memos from President Bush's former squadron commander in the National Guard said yesterday that he examined only the late officer's signature and made no attempt to authenticate the documents themselves. "There's no way that I, as a document expert, can authenticate them," Marcel Matley said in a telephone interview from San Francisco. The main reason, he said, is that they are "copies" that are "far removed" from the originals. Matley's comments came amid growing evidence challenging the authenticity of the documents aired Wednesday on...

Here's my top ten list from yesterday. Let me see yours! Kudos to anyone who gets number 5, even though I thought I didn't realize it was that obscure a reference. Top Ten Reasons CBS Is The Best In The Business 10. Beats competition to punch by allowing documents to be reviewed by phone. 9. Breaks stories other agencies will be talking about for weeks. 8. Ten million Kerry supporters can't be wrong! 7. Three words: Kerning, Kerning, Kerning! 6. Still insist Piltdown Man is key to human history. 5. Next exclusive is interview with man who fed a thousand...

I just finished watching the all-star round table discussion with Brit Hume, Fred Barnes, Mort Kondracke, and Mara Liasson on Fox. No longer are they giving serious consideration to the possibility the Bush ANG documents are not fakes. Even Liasson more or less admitted there was no chance they were real. She also admitted the burden of proof was on the people making the allegation, and that this had "blown-up" in the face of the Bush-haters. This segment was notable in that this is the first time I've seen the issue treated without the seemingly-obligatory agnosticism we've been seeing. They...

Caught In The Act Of Not Being AWOL! The Decatur Daily (Alabama) published an interview this morning with former Air Force Sgt. James Copeland, who insists that he saw George W. Bush doing his required drills at Dannelly Air National Guard Base in Montgomery, AL during the period CBS and Democrats claim he was AWOL: Copeland, who lives in Hartselle, retired from the Air Force on Jan. 31, 1980. He was the disbursement accounting supervisor, a full-time position, for Dannelly Air National Guard Base in Montgomery from Oct. 28, 1971, to Oct. 27, 1975. His office was less than 100...

<p>A CBS news report that suggested President Bush did not fulfill his military commitment 30 years ago fell under a growing cloud of skepticism Friday. But Democrats insisted that they have plenty of evidence to continue their campaign to show that Bush got breaks that other young men did not get during the Vietnam War.</p>

Read this comment carefully, and see if you can pull apart my train of thought. I think I have figured out the whole rational behind these forgeries, the long-standing rumors about Bush's national Guard records, and the actual source of the (real) coverup. ===== Follow my logic here real carefully, and see if this explains WHY the forger thought he could get away with his memo's, WHY everybody was "expecting" an earth-shaking problem with Bush's records, WHY everybody kept coming back to his ANG service, and WHY Dan Rather kept getting different rumors of ANG records problems in Bush's unit!...

Former Guardsman: Bush served with me in AlabamaBy the Associated Press A retired Alabama Air National Guard officer said Friday that he remembers George Bush showing up for duty in Alabama in 1972, reading safety magazines and flight manuals in an office as he performed his weekend obligations. "I saw him each drill period," retired Lt. Col. John "Bill" Calhoun said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Daytona Beach, Fla., where he is preparing to watch this weekend's big NASCAR race. "He was very aggressive about doing his duty there. He never complained about it. ......