Daily Report

April 15, 2010

Not Just for F-35

Maintaining the schedule of the Pentagon’s life-extension program (LEP) for the B61 nuclear bomb, which calls for churning out the first modified B61s in 2017, is just as important for the B-2A stealth bomber and future strategic deterrence as it...

It’s Our Choice

The US freely made the decision to reduce the number of warheads on its ICBMs down to one and is not compelled to do so under the terms of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, Air Force Gen....

Eyes in Space

The Air Force is preparing for the launch of its space based space surveillance satellite on July 8, Col. J.R. Jordan, vice commander of the space superiority systems wing at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., told reporters Wednesday during a teleconference....

Hopeful Signs

The F-35 strike fighter might actually meet its optimistic targets for life cycle costs, or at least far surpass those of previous stealth aircraft, defense analyst Barry Watts said Wednesday. “I’m still bullish about the F-35,” he said during the...

Maybe This Time

The Pentagon’s track record for producing the stealth aircraft that it spends lavishly to develop is pretty poor, says Barry Watts of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Speaking Wednesday at an F-35 panel discussion sponsored by AFA’s Mitchell...

Adding Apps

The F-35 strike fighter is “not just nice to have” and is at the forefront of the ongoing aircraft in war evolution in which the information they can gather and share is as important as the targets they can strike,...

On the Outside

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty will not affect the design of the Air Force’s next-generation long-range strike platform since the treaty is expected to expire before the new aircraft would join the inventory, a senior Air Force general said...

Global Hawk Partnerships

The Air Force and the Navy are looking at “synergies” in the operation of their respective Global Hawk and Broad Area Maritime Surveillance aircraft, Northrop Grumman officials said Tuesday during a press briefing in Washington, D.C. Global Hawk and BAMS,...

Now Hear This

Establishment of the Defense Department’s hearing center of excellence is “well underway,” Lt. Gen. Charles Green, Air Force surgeon general, told House lawmakers Tuesday in prepared testimony. With its executive hub located in San Antonio at Wilford Hall Medical Center...

Air Sorties from SWA 041110

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, April 11-12, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 41 84 125 6,196 CAS/Armed Recon 26 169 195 9,358 Airlift 388 388 17,225 Air refueling 93 93 4,295 Rescue 49 49 1,107 Total...