Daily Report

July 9, 2008

Tanker Up For Grabs Again

According to various lawmakers, the Pentagon does plan to recompete the Air Force’s KC-X tanker program award, following the Government Accountability Office rejection of the process that awarded the program to Northrop Grumman/EADS in February. Defense Secretary Robert Gates intends...

Tanker Tension

Pentagon acquisition boss John Young and USAF’s acquisition executive Sue Payton are expected to appear tomorrow in front of the House Armed Services Committee to discuss the path forward for theKC-X tanker program. So far, we haven’t heard anything concrete,...

Taking the Challenge

Two specially modified airborne warning and control system aircraft are participating in the Empire Challenge 2008 joint military exercise that began on Monday to demonstrate new network-centric capabilities for the platform, lead contractor Boeing announced yesterday. Among the new features...

No Let-up In Firefighting Support

On July 7, Air National Guardsmen and Air Force Reservists of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group entered their 12th day of firefighting support in California. On July 6 alone, airborne assets from the group, which include eight specially modified C-130...

Best Enlisted Personnel Recognized

The Air Force Personnel Center yesterday announced the names of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2008. They are: SMSgt. Donna Goodno, San Diego ANGS, Calif.; MSgt. Carla Curry, Randolph AFB, Tex.; MSgt. George Price Jr., Patrick AFB,...

It’s Official

What we reported in June as being on the horizon is now done deal: The Air Force’s three ICBM wings have formally reverted to their pre-1997 designation as missile wings to more accurately reflect their function. Accordingly, the 90th Space...

New Policy for Cluster Bombs

The United States intends to apply more stringent standards to the cluster munitions that it keeps on hand such that by 2018 it will only employ those types that contain bomblets with a dud rate of less than one percent,...

Magnum Goes on Display

The MH-53 Pave Low helicopter that was the lead command-and-control platform for the daring Son Tay raid into North Vietnam in November 1970 went on permanent display July 7 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in...

Strike Aircraft Busy in Southwest Asia

Coalition aircraft flew 50 close air support missions in Afghanistan and 56 in Iraq on July 6, Air Forces Central said in a release. In Afghanistan, for example, A-10s fired cannon rounds and dropped general-purpose 500-pound bombs onto anti-government forces...

Missile Milestone

Raytheon has delivered the 3,000th AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile that it is building for the US military and coalition partners, the company said in a release yesterday. The Navy is the lead service for the missile program and already...

Air Sorties from SWA

Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest AsiaJuly 6, 2008 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 26 13 39 5,762 CAS/Armed Recon 56 50 106 17,051 Airlift 137 137 23,622 Air refueling 53 53 8,098 Total 335 54,533...