Free Republic

PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES In January 2012 the Department published a paper -- “Defense Budget Priorities and Choices” – identifying the major budgetary changes made in response to the new defense strategy. Changes in the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget support U.S. defense strategy and are organized around four major themes: 1. Making more disciplined use of defense dollars. 2. Applying strategic guidance to force structure and investment. 3. Ensuring the quality of the all-volunteer force. 4. Fully supporting deployed warfighters. Disciplined Use of Defense Dollars The FY 2013 budget continues the reform agenda advanced in the Department’s previous three budgets. The FY...

USAF cancels AMRAAM replacement By: Zach Rosenberg Washington DC The US Air Force has cancelled the next generation missile (NGM) meant to replace both the anti-air AIM-120 AMRAAM and the anti-radiation AGM-88 HARM, both mainstays of the USA and its international allies. The NGM programme, also formerly known as the joint dual-role air dominance missile and projected to cost up to $15 billion, was cancelled "for affordability reasons", according to Gen Edward Bolton, USAF chief budget officer. The contest was eagerly anticipated by major aerospace companies, including Aerojet, Alliant Techsystems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. Following the 13...

After a decades-long streak of troubled weapon acquisitions, the Air Force is looking to get off on the right foot as it seeks to buy a new intercontinental stealth bomber. The Pentagon’s new budget proposal gives the Air Force the green light to begin designing a new bomber with a target date for starting production in the mid-2020s. The goal is to acquire up to 100 new aircraft at a cost of about $55 billion. But skeptics already are casting doubts on the plan. They consistently point to the B-2 batwing stealth bomber as a cautionary tale. The Pentagon spent...

We need your help in calling on the Air Force to reverse its decision to remove a Latin reference to "God" from a logo after an atheist group complained. But after the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers complained, the line was rewritten in Latin to read, "Doing Miracles with Other People's Money."

The Department of Defense is reviewing the Air Force's investigation into a deadly F-22 jet crash that claimed the life of fighter pilot Capt. Jeff Haney -- a crash that the Air Force blamed on Haney, despite a malfunction that caused his oxygen system to shut off mid-flight. Launched by the Pentagon's Inspector General, the assessment aims to make sure the Air Force adhered to proper procedures during their investigation of the 2010 crash in the Alaskan wilderness and "will also verify that [the Air Force's] conclusions are supported by evidence of record consistent with standards of proof," according to...

U.S. plans $2.8 billion upgrade of F-16 fighter 7:14pm EST By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it plans a $2.8 billion upgrade of about 350 of its aging F-16 multi-role fighter planes to help offset slower purchases of the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The work, running into the 2020s, will extend the service life of select F-16 airframes. Other upgrades include advanced radar, sensors, cockpit display, electronic warfare and communications capabilities, the service said. "We have worked through the implications of the delays in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program," Air Force Secretary...

Misinformation and Legal Wrangling Delaying Mission-Critical A-29 Super Tucano for American Warfighters in Afghanistan SPARKS, Nev., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the winner of the U.S. Air Force Light Air Support (LAS) competition, today issued a point-by-point rebuttal of misinformation being spread by the disqualified contender for the contract. The LAS contract provides aircraft, training and support for the U.S. government's partner building efforts in Afghanistan and other nations. The aircraft is urgently needed to support aerial reconnaissance and light air operations in Afghanistan, as well as to develop the organic capability needed to complete the...

Somewhere over Afghanistan. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060917.htm (medium, large, huge) The Photographer Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway, United States Air Force  

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Chris FaheyS New airframe adds strike capability to Afghan air force AFGHANISTAN - In Afghanistan’s continued effort to independently battle counterinsurgency, a new tool will be added to their arsenal designed to allow versatility, reconnaissance and precision weapons placement to the growing Afghan air force. Announced Dec. 30, the U.S. Air Force has approved a contract worth more than $350 million that will provide the Afghan air force with at least 20 A-29 Super Tucano light air support aircraft, ground training devices and all associated maintenance and support equipment originally...

In November 2011, Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.) took TacAir's A-29 Super Tucano for a test flight over Northern Nevada. A highly decorated military leader, Deptula transitioned from the U.S. Air Force in 2010 after more than 34 years of distinguished service. He was the principal attack planner for the Desert Storm coalition air campaign in 1991. He has twice been a Combined/Joint Task Force Commander—in 1998/1999 for Operation Northern Watch where he flew 82 combat missions as a general officer, and for Operation Deep Freeze conducting operations in Antarctica. In 2001, he served as Director of the Combined...

Lockheed reveals bold technology plans with 6th-gen fighter concept By: Stephen Trimble Washington DC Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division has revealed a conceptual next-generation fighter design that offers the first hints of an ambitious, long-term technology strategy for the new class of tactical aircraft that will emerge after 2030. The concept - published in a 2012 calendar distributed to journalists - indicates the company will continue to seek new breakthroughs in performance despite the risk-averse culture of today's weapons buyers in the US military. Featuring an F-22-like nose, an unusually contoured wing and nearly flat canted tails, the concept suggests...

The Super Tucano has won the LAS competition: Lingering Questions 01/04/2012 By Ed Timperlake There is tremendous news for the American/NATO war effort in Afghanistan. With the selection of the Super Tucano, the Afghan Army Air Force can now begin to develop a combat capable air fleet for the Afghan Air Force. Doing so is part of the process of reducing US and allied presence and having a key element for cooperation after the substantial ground forces of the US and its allies leave. This is a core task, not a peripheral one. This is not a procurement game; this...

A-29 Super Tucano Wins Air Force Bid for Light Air Support Mission SPARKS, Nev., Dec. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- SIERRA NEVADA CORPORATION and EMBRAER DEFENSE & SECURITY to supply aircraft, training and support to the Light Air Support program. A-29 Super Tucano to be built in Jacksonville, FL; over 70 U.S. companies to supply parts and services Eren Ozmen, President, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), and Luiz Carlos Aguiar, CEO, Embraer Defense and Security (Embraer), today announced that the U.S. Air Force has selected SNC, partnered with Embraer, to supply Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft to be used as...

10x more powerful than it's predecessor,  the 30,000 pound bomb can penetrate 200 ft  of hardened concrete before it goes BOOM GBU-57A/B  Military technology has indeed created some fearsome weapons over the last few decades, from the 5,000 lb GBU-28 Deep Throat bunker buster, to the 3x larger (15,000 lb) BLU-82 Daisycutter, roughly equivalent to the Russians' 15,650 lb ATBIP (Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power). Then there's the USAF's 22,000 lb Grand Slam 'earthquake bomb' and the 22,600 lb GBU-43 MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast), which approximates the effect of a small nuclear weapon. But provided you were able to find...

A U-2 pilot completed the final manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission over Iraq Dec. 18, as the last American troops withdrew into neighboring Kuwait. Maj. Steve flew his first mission over Iraq during Operation Southern Watch in the early '90s, so it was fitting for the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron Airman to close out this chapter of his unit's history. The major, deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., said he was proud to be part of this landmark event. "The best part about it was it was quiet for the folks on the ground," said Steve, a Lake...

A holiday display at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield might inspire a seasonal spirit in some viewers, but it's stirring up less-than-jolly resentment in others. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a national group, has written to the base, arguing that the display's inclusion of a large menorah and nativity scene implies an endorsement of some religions. The display also includes other items, including reindeer, Christmas trees and airplanes.

12/13/2011 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- The freeze, preceded by hiring controls, was one of several measures implemented in 2011 to bring manning down to mandated 2010 levels. In addition, voluntary separation incentives were recently offered, with employees expected to separate by Dec. 31. "We have made significant progress in reducing manning levels through various programs," said Michelle LoweSolis, the AFPC civilian force integration director. "But in some areas we are still short of the goal, so the freeze was extended in those targeted areas to help us work toward that end. "Even with the hiring freeze...

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- He carefully but thoroughly searched an abandoned bunker halfway around the world thought to house insurgent activity. Then taking point in the pursuit of an unidentified enemy, Telin confidently led the squad of troops through a desert trail, following footprints in the dirt. Telin didn't carry a weapon. He didn't have any specific intelligence on the situation. Nevertheless, he fearlessly executed his task to track. Telin was a Belgian Malinois and military working dog deployed from Edwards to support military operations in the Middle East. "I trusted him with my life," said Master Sgt....

The Air Force dumped the incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops in a Virginia landfill, far more than the military had acknowledged, before halting the secretive practice three years ago, records show. The landfill dumping was concealed from families who had authorized the military to dispose of the remains in a dignified and respectful manner, Air Force officials said. There are no plans, they said, to alert those families now. The Air Force had maintained that it could not estimate how many troops might have had their remains sent to a landfill. The practice was revealed last...

IN FOCUS: USAF committed to replace AMRAAM and HARM with new missile By: Stephen Trimble Washington DC 12:00 6 Dec 2011 Twenty years after entering service, the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM is still one of the most feared weapons in air warfare, yet it may also be among the most endangered. China and Russia are developing new air-to-air missiles with possibly longer ranges, adding to the overall threat posed since 2010 by the appearance of the Sukhoi T-50 and Chengdu J-20 prototype stealth fighters. Moreover, a new generation of surface-to-air missile systems are extending their reach, making a strike by fighters...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –  The secretive X-37B robotic space plane is about to set its own space-endurance record on a hush-hush project operated by the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. The craft, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle-2, was boosted into Earth orbit atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 5. Tomorrow (Nov. 30), the X-37B spacecraft will mark its 270th day of flight — a lifetime in space that was heralded in the past as the vehicle's upper limit for spaceflight by project officials. "It's still up there," U.S. Air...

Lockheed Martin girds for battle After the debt supercommittee's failure, defense contractors are preparing for turbulent times. Can Lockheed save the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter? Perilous times await Lockheed Martin, the world's largest military contractor. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down. Because the congressional supercommittee failed to agree on a plan to curb the federal deficit, the Pentagon faces spending reductions that could add up to about $1 trillion over the next decade. One likely target: Lockheed's controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive weapons program in history. Robert J. "Bob" Stevens, Lockheed's CEO, can't be happy...

F-22 upgrades in deficit crosshairs By Richard Burnett, Orlando Sentinel 3:58 PM EST, November 27, 2011 Advertisement The deficit-reduction stalemate in Washington has put the Pentagon on a collision course with $500 billion in "automatic" budget cuts over the next 10 years. But even before last week's failure of Congress' "supercommittee" to find an alternative solution, the Defense Department faced potential cuts of as much as $400 billion over 10 years. Any chance that might trigger some "rush orders" to get a jump on the historic budget ax that's likely to fall? That question seemed especially relevant last week when...

End-Game for USAF Competition? By Ed Timperlake November 20, 2011 11/20/2011 The headline in the Wichita Eagle says it all—“Hawker Beechcraft loses out on big Air Force contract” Reporter Dan Voorhis writing for The Wichita Eagle, (November 18 2011) points out that; “Hawker Beechcraft Corp. says the Air Force has informed the company that it lost out on a military contract worth nearly $1billion. “The company had hoped to win the Light Air Support contract with its AT-6, an armed version of its T-6 trainer. But on Friday, the company said it received a letter from the Air Force saying...

Hawker Beechcraft loses out on big Air Force contract By Dan Voorhis The Wichita Eagle Hawker Beechcraft Corp. says the Air Force has informed the company that it lost out on a military contract worth nearly $1 billion. The company had hoped to win the Light Air Support contract with its AT-6, an armed version of its T-6 trainer. But on Friday, the company said it received a letter from the Air Force saying the AT-6 had been excluded from the competition. The company wants an explanation. According to the company’s news release: “The letter provides no basis for the exclusion....

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- F-15E Strike Eagles from the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 121st EFS dropped more than 9,000 pounds of munitions through severe weather on enemy forces trying to overrun a combat outpost in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Nov. 8. According to reports, up to 70 Taliban were killed while attacking COP Margah in a large scale coordinated attack. Coalition forces were first alerted to the attack when rocket-propelled grenades began to hit the camp. Shortly thereafter, the insurgents attacked the camp from multiple positions using small arms and RPG fire. Staff Sgt....

Hawker Beechcraft posts $42.2 million third-quarter loss BY MOLLY McMILLIN The Wichita Eagle Hawker Beechcraft on Monday reported an operating loss of $42.2 million in the third quarter, an improvement from losses of $81.4 million for the same period a year ago. Sales totaled $518.8 million, down from $594.7 million during the same period last year because of lower aircraft deliveries. The company delivered 38 aircraft in the quarter, compared to 49 deliveries a year ago. The decline is due to supply disruptions that affected the production of the King Air, Hawker 4000 and piston aircraft, which delayed deliveries, the...

Could the Nuclear Triad Become a ‘Bi-ad?’ Now is not the time to discuss removing one leg from the three-legged stool known as the nuclear triad, the head of U.S. Strategic Command said Oct. 18. “I continue to stand by a need for a triad,” Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, Stratcom commander, told reporters in Washington, D.C. The prospects for budget cuts have prompted some pundits to question the need to fund all three parts of the nation’s methods of delivering nuclear weapons — land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, bombers and submarines armed with sea-launched missiles. Wouldn’t it be better...

In September 2011, North Dakota Senator John Hoeven announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee had approved $88 million for further upgrades to the 76 B-52H bombers that remain out of the total production run of 744 aircraft. SNIP The B-52 has proven a remarkably durable aircraft that has adapted to a changing world. Too slow, heavy and unstealthy to fly into defended airspace, the BUFF's (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) days of standing 24-hour alerts against the outbreak of World War III are long over, but it still maintain its nuclear deterrent role as a platform for the new Long Range...

The United States Air Force was established September 18, 1947.The U.S. Air Force song "Wild Blue Yonder"

Save the Lightning Why we need the F-35 By Thomas Donnelly The Weekly Standard Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Thanks to the provisions of the Budget Control Act and the subsequent directions of President Obama's budget director, Jack Lew, the Department of Defense is figuring out how to trim $1 trillion from its current and planned budgets. Perhaps the principal target in the sights is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program (aka the Lightning II)—a fact that neatly encapsulates the Pentagon's severe budgetary, programmatic, operational, and strategic problems. It's only modest hyperbole to conclude that as fares the Lightning, so fares...

F-15 fatigue tests vital to aircraft's future By WAYNE CRENSHAW - wcrenshaw@macon.com From a small building in Byron to a lab in Israel and a Boeing facility in St. Louis, a massive effort is under way that will play an important role in the future of the F-15 Eagle. The two most extensive full-scale fatigue tests ever done on the venerated aircraft, along with complete teardowns of two others, will help determine what maintainers at Robins Air Force Base need to do to keep the aging fighter jet flying safely for years to come. Robins does depot maintenance, program management...

T-38 Trainer Becoming Too Costly and Dangerous to Keep Flying (Source: Lexington Institute; issued August 31, 2011) (© Lexington Institute; reproduced by permission) The U.S. Air Force's pilot training program relies upon an obsolete Eisenhower-era jet that may soon be too unsafe to fly. The T-38 Talon was the world's first supersonic training aircraft when it debuted in 1959, but half a century later the average plane has logged 15,000 flight hours -- over twice the planned design life -- and age-related problems have begun to appear. Investigations following a fatal 2008 crash caused by metal fatigue found 156 "single-point...

The Air Force’s sky-high hopes for the F-35 By Philip Ewing Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 Newspaper editorial boards, white-paperists and blue-ribbon panels all have called for the F-35 to be cancelled, but as we’ve seen many times, it’s so big and expensive it stands a very good chance of surviving in Austerity America. Here’s another reason to throw on the pile: If you cancelled it, you’d be canceling a lot of the Air Force. The service’s almost complete dependence on its F-35A Lightning II was driven home again last weekend when Gen. Edward Rice, head of Air Education and Training...

We join the Libyan people in gratefulness as we hear of Col. Gaddafi’s defeat. The fall of a tyrant and sponsor of terrorism is a great day for freedom-loving people around the world. But the path to democracy in Libya is not complete, and we must make wise choices to ensure that our national interests are protected.

If you hear loud booms tonight, it's F-16's. From NORAD: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct an exercise – Falcon Virgo 11-11 beginning Wednesday night, Aug. 24 at midnight into early Thursday morning, Aug. 25, in the National Capital Region. Flights in the National Capital Region are scheduled to take place between midnight and 1:30 a.m. EDT Thursday morning. In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will take place the next day at the same time.

After nearly a decade of development, the U.S. Air Force has ordered eight MOP (massive ordnance penetrator) GBU-57A/B bunker buster bombs. These 14 ton weapons cost $3.5 million each. In the last few years, several B-2 bombers have been equipped to carry these weapons (two bombs per B-2). This was apparently meant to send a message to Iran and North Korea.

It's the most expensive fighter jet ever built. Yet the F-22 Raptor has never seen a day of combat, and its future is clouded by a government safety investigation that has grounded the jet for months. The fleet of 158 F-22s, including those in Alaska, has been sidelined since May 3 after more than a dozen incidents in which oxygen was cut off to pilots, making them woozy. The malfunction is suspected of contributing to at least one fatal accident, in Alaska. At an estimated cost of $412 million each, the F-22s amount to about $65 billion sitting on the...

Complete title: Judicial Watch Uncovers New Documents Detailing Pelosi's Use of Air Force Aircraft for Her Family in 2010 Records Also Detail Massive Pelosi-Led Bipartisan Congressional Junket to Detroit Auto Show Washington, DC -- July 21, 2011Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained new documents from the United States Air Force (USAF) detailing then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s use of USAF aircraft in 2010. The records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which include flight manifests, expense summaries, copies of receipts and Congressional correspondence, detail a number of...

The pilot of a U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon jet that crashed near Caliente earlier this week didn't survive, officials at Nellis Air Force Base said today. U.S. Air Force officials said search and rescue teams found conclusive evidence that the pilot didn't eject from the aircraft before the crash, which occurred about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday about 20 miles west of Caliente on Bureau of Land Management property. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot’s immediate family, Air Force family, and friends during this difficult time," Brig. Gen. T.J. O’Shaughnessy, 57th Wing commander, said in a statement. Air...

Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk Above we have a Global Hawk UAV that has just returned from Iraq in one nonstop flight, rather than packed and transported via C-5/C-17 cargo, as would normally be the case. Do note the mission paintings on the fuselage- looks like 250+, they're really working these things, and drones are here to stay. This super-snooper can stay up for 36 hrs while operating above 60,000 feet, fulfilling the prior high-altitude surveillance role of the legendary, manned U-2. The Global Hawk is controlled via satellite by a flight-control center team in California's Mohave desert, who enjoy the...

Paris 2011: Next-generation Hawk vies for export sales By: David Donald June 20, 2011 Military Aircraft BAE Systems brings its Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) to the Paris Air Show seeking to extend the life of its hugely successful trainer, which has already trained around 20,000 pilots. There are plenty of opportunities for the Hawk AJT, including the potentially massive T-X requirement for a T-38 replacement for the U.S. Air Force. T-X envisions the acquisition of around 350 aircraft with initial operating capability to be achieved in 2017. A formal request is expected in the third quarter of this year,...

This guy showed up for his son’s graduation from basic training at Fort Benning dressed like this. According to our source, the MPs escorted his monkey ass off post; Notice that on the desk in the last picture, the nose picker even had a Green Beret to round out the ensemble. I’m surprised the MPs didn’t shoot him on sight out of fear. His real name is Nick Androsky according to someone who found his Facebook profile . Check his photos “Routine Patrol” and the one of him jumping at 30,000 feet from the Space Shuttle, I suppose. But here's...

Air Force Academy Creates ‘Worship Space’ for 'Earth-Centered Community’ Friday, June 17, 2011 By Patrick Ryan (CNSNews.com) - The United States Air Force Academy has created a “worship space” on campus for the “Earth-Centered Community,” which, according to the Air Force, includes among other denominations the Wiccans, Druids, Heathens and Pagans. Col. Robert Bruno, chaplain at the Air Force Academy, told CNSNews.com that the academy created the space in response to a request from a few service members and cadets who belong to the Earth-Centered Community. “In the Summer of 2009, a small group of Earth Centered Airmen and cadets...

'Doomsday Plane' Would Save President and Joint Chiefs in Apocalypse Scenario By MICHAEL MURRAY June 7, 2011 In the event of nuclear war, a powerful meteor strike or even a zombie apocalypse, the thoroughly protected doomsday plane is ready to keep the president, secretary of defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff and other key personnel in the air and out of danger. It may not deflect a Twitter photo scandal, but it can outrun a nuclear explosion and stay in the air for days without refueling. The flight team for the E-4B, its military codename, sleeps nearby and is ready to...

General Draza Mihailovich Major Richard L. Felman, USAF ***** Aleksandra's Note: The following memoir was first published in 1964 by Major Richard L. Felman of the United States Air Force. It is his personal true story of his extraordinary experiences during World War Two. It is also the story of the great Serbian patriot and Western Ally General Draza Mihailovich and the Serbs who saved the lives of over 500 Americans who were shot down over Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia in 1944. In honor of Memorial Day 2011 it's worthwhile to revisit this moment in history. As much as his story honors...

Looking for someplace that prints notecards with military insignia on the front (one of those things I never got around to after I pinned on, but now need to send attaboys/attagirls on a regular basis to distract the addressee from my atrocious handwriting. Anybody got an idea? Colonel, USAFR

Almost two years after its reactivation, the 8th Fighter Squadron held its inactivation ceremony May 13 on the 8th FS trim pad. The 8th FS, which was reactivated in September 2009 after being inactivated April 2008 following the retirement of the F-117 Nighthawk , will once again be placed in inactive status due to the changing of Holloman's flying mission. Since its reactivation, the 8th has done many great things explained Lt. Col. Craig Baker, 8th FS commander. "In less than a year, we boosted, by over 100 percent, the power projection of the 49th Wing's combat capabilities," he said....

AT-6 Seen As Versatile Combat Aircraft By David Fulghum Washington The turboprop-powered T-6 Texan II began life as a trainer and then morphed into the AT-6 light attack aircraft for the Greek air force. Now, as the AT-6B/C, it is promising to become an inexpensive path to network-centric operations, precision strike and advanced surveillance for other air forces. Nor is there a foreseeable end to the development potential envisioned for the two-seater. It offers 1,600 shp, 5-6-hr. endurance and an A-10C cockpit—a combination that’s being created by the team of Hawker Beechcraft and Lockheed Martin. As for what a light...

Apparently the teleprompters malfunctioned at whichever fundraiser Obama is attending so he panicked and aborted the airport landing.