Daily Report

Feb. 25, 2009

The Big 500K

The Predator unmanned aerial vehicles fleet surpassed the mark of 500,000 total flying hours Feb. 18 when an MQ-1 Predator flown by members of the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron at Creech AFB, Nev., eclipsed the milestone during a mission over Iraq....

Launch Anomaly Dooms Satellite

NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite was lost yesterday when an anomaly occurring within minutes of its 1:55 a.m. (Pacific Time) launch from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., prevented the satellite from reaching orbit. The ill-fated satellite then likely splashed down in the...

History Made at Hurlburt

Lt. Col. Brenda Cartier assumed command of the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., on Feb. 20, becoming Air Force Special Operations Command first female flying squadron commander. “It’s a historic moment for us in AFSOC,” said Col....

Air Guard Gets New Enlisted Leader

CMSgt. Christopher Muncy from the Ohio Air National Guard was announced Monday as the Air Guard’s new command chief. He will succeed CMSgt. Richard Smith, who spent some four years in that position and is retiring this spring after 37...

New Pentagon Acquisition Czar Named

President Obama on Monday announced his intent to nominate Harvard physicist Ashton Carter as his choice to be the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer. Carter would replace John Young who has been in that post since November 2007 and stayed on...

V-22s Got Dirty in Anbar

Responding to criticism that the MV-22’s first combat deployment to Iraq was a softball and that the aircraft flew mostly VIP delegations around, Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly said yesterday he put the Osprey into the fight when he led...

Osprey Left Its Mark

Maintaining order and security across Iraq’s largest province, Anbar, which includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, was a difficult task for the Marines of Multi National Force-West several years ago, says Maj. Gen. John Kelly, the unit’s former commander....

UAE Buys C-130Js, C-17s

The United Arab Emirates has let contracts to Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the purchase of four C-17s and 12 C-130Js, respectively, according to press reports emanating from this week’s IDEX defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Reuters news wire service...

DOD Announces Annual Technology Demos

The Department of Defense on Feb. 20 announced it annual list of joint capability technology demonstrations and unveiled the collection of foreign systems and defense acquisition challenge offerings that it intends to evaluate. Among the 15 JCTDs are two Air...