The House-Senate conference report for the 2007 defense appropriations bill likely has derailed calls for a delay to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, and—much to the Pentagon’s dismay—it would resurrect the alternate engine program. The House already has passed...

According to Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), the 2007 defense appropriations bill contains “supportive language” to encourage the Air Force to resurrect its B-52 Standoff Jammer program. USAF had cancelled the SOJ program because it became too expensive through requirements creep....

Raytheon has delivered its active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system to the Air Force, which means the service can begin the final phase of developmental flight testing once Boeing integrates the radar on an F-15C fighter. A company statement...

The Wichita Eagle reports that the Kansas lawmakers who said earlier this year that the Air National Guard at McConnell AFB, Kan., was in line to get a squadron of T-38s to perform a fighter training mission now say the...

Boeing has finished installing Block E avionics modification kits on the Air Force’s fleet of 67 B-1B bombers, also called Bones. The installation marked the end of the conventional mission upgrade program that began in 1993 to convert the B-1...

The 53rd Test Evaluation Group’s Det. 1, called the Dragon Test Team, inactivated during a ceremony at Holloman AFB, N.M. “By law, whenever a weapon system is within five years of retirement, we stop conducting modifications and testing,” said Lt....

A Kyrgyzstan Tu-154 passenger airplane hit a US Air Force KC-135—wing tip to wing tip—at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, as the Tu-154 was taking off and the KC-135 was taxiing from the runway following its refueling mission. The USAF tanker caught...

Gen. Paul Hester, head of Pacific Air Forces, has invited delegations from China to visit and observe various exercises in the Pacific in recent months, particularly one on Guam—and they have accepted every one. However, Hester told Air Force Magazine...

There’s been no word from the new ruling junta in Thailand whether or not it wishes to continue cooperative exercises with the Air Force, PACAF commander Gen. Paul Hester said in an interview with Air Force Magazine. USAF conducts two...

The Air Force has decided that it can simplify money management—and save bucks—by making Air Force Material Command the daddy rabbit for the bulk of its sustainment needs. Starting Oct. 1, AFMC becomes the executive agent for all other major...

Rick Spicer, Boeing’s deputy capture team lead for the company’s CSAR efforts, told reporters Sept. 27 at AFA’s Air and Space Conference in Washington that it would probably be the last time he would get to make a pitch for...

Howard Yellen, general manager of Global Military Aircraft Systems, says the C-27J Spartan—competing for the Army-Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft program—has some unique capabilities. Up armored Humvees and C-130 pallets can be directly loaded into the Spartan’s cargo bay without...

Air Force Space Command boss Gen. Kevin Chilton told reporters Sept. 26 at AFA’s Air & Space Conference that he’s a backer of the proposed joint rocket venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, United Space Alliance. “From what I’ve read,...

Sept. 26-27, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 34 11 45 CAS/Armed Recon 85 82 167 Airlift 280 280 Air refueling 67 67 Total 119 93 347 559 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance