http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/usaf/ en-us Fri, 3 Jul 2009 13:29:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284796/posts B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284796/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 13:29:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284683/posts Note: The following text is a quote: Retired University Professor Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Arms Export Violations Involving Citizen of China John Reece Roth, 72, of Knoxville, Tenn., was sentenced to 48 months in prison for violating the Arms Export Control Act by conspiring to illegally export, and actually exporting, technical information relating to a U.S. Air Force (USAF) research and development contract. The sentencing took place in U.S. District Court in Knoxville before Judge Thomas Varlan, Jr. A former University of Tennessee professor, Roth will serve a term of two years supervised release after completing his... US DOJ.GOV/opa -Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284683/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 07:27:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283840/posts U.S. 'ready' for N. Korean missile Pyongyang expected to test ICBM By Bill Gertz July 2, 2009 COLORADO SPRINGS | U.S. missile defenses are prepared to try to knock down the last stage of a Taepodong-2 missile that North Korea is expected soon to launch if sensors detect the weapon threatens U.S. territory, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command told The Washington Times. "The nation has a very, very credible ballistic-missile defense capability. Our ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, I'm very comfortable, give me a capability that if we really are threatened by a long-range ICBM that I've... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283840/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 03:58:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283225/posts The Photographers  Photo 1, U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Josue L. Escobosa, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200907.htm Photo 2, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm Photo 3, U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kyle Steckler, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200907.htm Photo 4, A U.S. Air Force 90th Fighter Squadron F-22A Raptor stealth fighter intercepts and escorts a Russian TU-95 "Bear" bomber flying near the Alaskan NORAD Region airspace on November 22, 2007. DoD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283225/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 13:45:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265513/posts VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — Beefed up security at Vandenberg Air Force Base is preventing public access to the state's Point Sal Beach, which can only be reached on foot through military base property. Outdoor recreational activity has also been banned on most of Vandenberg's 98,000 acres near Lompoc. The military says the heightened state of security will be in place indefinitely. Officials with Vandenberg's 30th Space Wing says the Department of Defense ordered the increase in security and no details are being released. However, the measures were imposed after Osama bin Laden released an audio recording threatening Americans. San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2265513/posts#comment Fri, 5 Jun 2009 14:51:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1872225/posts The U.S. is retrofitting its B-2 Stealth bombers with massive bunker-buster bombs -- a move that could be a prelude to an attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities. Iran has refused to comply with international demands that it stop its nuclear weapons programs. Experts have noted that a U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program could be difficult due to the large number of installations -- some of which are buried deep underground in hardened bunkers. In a recent NewsMax Magazine, Kenneth R. Timmerman's report "The Coming War with Iran: 6 Days of Hell" predicted the U.S. would... NewsMax http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1872225/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jul 2007 01:52:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279597/posts House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha, D-Pa., said Wednesday he would likely attach language to his panel's version of the fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill to encourage the Air Force to buy two types of aerial refueling tankers. Murtha has long advocated awarding the lucrative contract to the two aerospace rivals now vying for it, but he indicated he would stop short of requiring the Pentagon to pursue the split-buy strategy for the tankers. Under language he is drafting, Murtha said the decision ultimately would be up to the Pentagon, which has steadfastly opposed buying more than one type... GovernmentExecutive.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279597/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:40:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2279433/posts James May always wanted to be an astronaut. Now, 40 years after the first Apollo landings, he gets a chance to fly to the edge of space in a U2 spy plane. But first he has to undergo three gruelling days of training with the US Air Force and learn to use a space suit to stay alive in air so thin it can kill in an instant. He discovers that during the flight there are only two people higher than him, and they are both real astronauts on the International Space Station. BBC - Documentary http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2279433/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:17:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278145/posts 6/23/2009 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin made a surprise visit to Sailors and personnel onboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) on Monday during the military joint-training exercise Northern Edge 2009. The invitation came as a surprise for the governor, who jumped at the opportunity to visit U.S. service members and learn more about U.S. Navy operations. "This is such an honor to be here," Palin said. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for my husband Todd and I to see an aircraft carrier in action, and see what its... Elmendorf Air Force Base http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278145/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:40:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277899/posts WASHINGTON - Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr., retired commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, and his wife, Ann, were among those killed in the collision of two Metro trains. *snip* especially during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. That time saw the changing of the D.C. National Guard from weekend warriors to Army troops performing the duties of enlisted soldiers in battle. Wherley worked on deployment and returning ceremonies for Guard troops, funding for tuition for Guard members, and after school activities conducted by the D.C. National Guard. *snip* WTOP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277899/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:17:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277583/posts Congressional computers have been penetrated, probably by the Chinese. The avionics system of the F-22 fighter may be compromised. Computers of our presidential candidates were hacked into -- and probably not by teenagers...Last year's advance of Russian tanks into Georgia was accompanied by the disruption of Georgian government computer systems. ...Attacks on computer systems will be an integral element of future conflict, and the United States is more dependent on computer networks than any other nation. ...policymakers and the military are in the early stages of coming to grips with this. We need to take some important first steps to... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277583/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:04:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277852/posts An F-16 pilot missing after his jet crashed overnight during training at Hill Air Force Base was killed, according to a friend of the pilot's family in Candler, N.C. Hill officials would not release the pilot's name or confirm his death, but Bill Jamison confirmed that Capt. George Bryan Houghton, 28, of Candler, was killed during a nighttime exercise over the Utah Test and Training Range in the massive, rugged and remote west desert around 10:25 p.m. Monday. Col. Scott Dennis, commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, said the pilot's body was recovered near Wendover after a seven-hour search. Houghton,... Salt Lake Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277852/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:55:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277577/posts TOOELE, Utah — Military officials are trying to locate the pilot of an F-16 that crashed at the Utah Test and Training Range west of Salt Lake City. Base's 388th Fighter Wing, crashed late Monday night while on a routine training mission. FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277577/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:52:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277788/posts The F-22 Raptor, the most advanced fighter jet in the world, is in a dogfight with a tough adversary: Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). Frank, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, said Tuesday he is “vigorously” opposed to Lockheed Martin’s F-22 fighter jet. Frank has called recent congressional efforts to add more money for the production of the F-22 a “major assault” on President Obama’s efforts to control military spending. Frank is intent on striking $369 million authorized for the procurement of advance materials and items necessary to build 12 additional F-22s. House defense authorizers, in a surprising move, last... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277788/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:33:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277200/posts Defense: By a narrow margin, a House subcommittee has voted to keep open the F-22 Raptor production line. The future of American air dominance and the fate of the world's most capable fighter hang in the balance.On May 30, with North Korea huffing and puffing about nuclear war, the first of 12 high-tech U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed at Kadena Air Base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. It was just days after North Korea unnerved the region by detonating a nuclear device. There were reasons the F-22 was deployed to Japan. The stealthy, radar-evading fighter jet is... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277200/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:32:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275187/posts The Photographers  Photo 1, United States Air Force (USAF) Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm Photo 2, USAF Staff Sgt. Samuel E. Rogers, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20051129.htm Photo 3, USAF Tech. Sgt. Debbie Hernandez, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20050822.htm Photo 4, The United States Navy, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20050822.htm Photo 5, USAF Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald, via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm ChamorroBible.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275187/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:27:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273316/posts House defense authorizers are pressing Defense Secretary Robert Gates to consider buying existing fighter jets instead of the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to curtail a severe fighter jet shortfall in the Air Force National Guard. During a House Armed Services Committee markup of the 2010 defense authorization bill on Tuesday, lawmakers raised alarm that aircraft shortfalls could present significant challenges to the Air Force’s ability to protect domestic airspace. At press time, lawmakers had included an amendment sponsored by Reps. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) and Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) that would force Gates to consider buying F-15, F-16 and F-18 aircraft... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273316/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:11:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273155/posts The US Air Force today revealed plans to acquire a small arsenal of a new 13,600kg (30,000lb) penetrator bomb to deploy on Northrop Grumman B-2As in three years. The USAF's public notice follows several years of testing the Boeing GBU57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which is designed to destroy hardened bunkers buried deeply underground. The USAF plans to begin flight tests on the B-2A starting in June 2011 and reach operational status by June 2012, the USAF notice says. Integrating the MOP requires no changes to the B-2A's operational flight programme, avoiding a potentially costly and time-consuming recertification process. The... Flight International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273155/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:19:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271549/posts A new Air Force surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft has successfully completed its debut combat mission, military officials said last week. The MC-12 Liberty is a turboprop aircraft with a specialized four-person crew that provides full-motion video and signals intelligence. Essentially, it is a manned, souped-up version of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that roam the skies above Iraq and Afghanistan. The Liberty is "the first of its kind," Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central, said in an Air Force news release. "What our Air Force teams at our various headquarters... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271549/posts#comment Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:59:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270404/posts BRIDGETON — For decades, they roared across the St. Louis sky, inspiring awe and, on occasion, rattling windows. But come Sunday, the last Air National Guard fighter jets stationed at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport are scheduled to make their final departure, the result of a 2005 plan that called for the twin-tailed F-15 Eagles to be redeployed to guard units in Hawaii and Montana. The flights mark the end of an era for St. Louis and the 131st Fighter Wing, a highly-decorated unit that can trace its roots in the city back 86 years and whose members included Charles Lindbergh.... ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270404/posts#comment Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:08:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2270042/posts 6/3/2009 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Members of the Air Force Research Laboratory and Lockheed Martin's famed 'Skunk Works' launched a new era of aircraft manufacturing technology and performance with the successful initial demonstration flight of the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft June 2 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif. USAF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2270042/posts#comment Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:43:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262569/posts     ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Dover Air Force Base, DelawareDover Air Force Base or Dover AFB (IATA: DOV, ICAO: KDOV, FAA LID: DOV) is a United States Air Force base located two miles south of the city of Dover, Delaware.Dover AFB is home to the 436th Airlift Wing (436 AW) of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), known as the "Eagle Wing", and the AMC-gained 512th Airlift Wing (512 AW) of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), referred to as the "Liberty Wing". It was the only base to solely operate the massive C-5 Galaxy, with two... Serving The Best Troops And Veterans In The World!! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262569/posts#comment Tue, 2 Jun 2009 01:00:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260949/posts KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — F-22 Raptors from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia were scheduled to arrive Saturday at Kadena, according to the Air Force. The supersonic fighters are part of two squadrons the Air Force has deployed for four months in support security throughout the Western Pacific region, a news release said. About 12 Raptors from the 94th Fighter Squadron will train on Okinawa, the release said. Another dozen Raptors from the 525th Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska deployed to Guam on May 13, the release said. While training on Okinawa, the Raptors will observe... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2260949/posts#comment Sat, 30 May 2009 00:47:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258589/posts WASHINGTON — No one in Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach’s unit knew he was gay until he went on television Tuesday night to talk about his sexuality. “It was never my intention to come out publicly,” he said in an interview with Stripes the next day. But Fehrenbach, an F-15 pilot, said he was grounded last spring, just weeks before his unit deployed to Iraq, when a civilian acquaintance told his commanders that Fehrenbach might be gay. He said he doesn’t know why he was outed. For almost two decades, he kept his sexual orientation a secret from military... Mideast edition, Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258589/posts#comment Tue, 26 May 2009 21:24:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257401/posts 5/22/2009 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An Air Force test pilot student died yesterday when his jet trainer crashed north of Edwards Air Force Base. Captain Mark P. Graziano, 30, died when the T-38A he was piloting crashed approximately nine miles north of Edwards AFB, near California City. Graziano was assigned to the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards, where he was undergoing training to become a test pilot. His crew member, Major Lee V. Jones, was injured upon ejecting from the aircraft. He was transported to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, where he is listed in stable... Air Force Link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2257401/posts#comment Sun, 24 May 2009 17:26:33 GMT