Daily Report

Aug. 12, 2010

US, Russia Conclude Air Defense Exercise

The United States and Russia have completed their first-ever Vigilant Eagle cooperative air defense exercise, NORAD officials announced Wednesday. Vigilant Eagle took place over the course of three days, with US and Russian military and civil air-traffic-control personnel practicing how...

Mattis Takes Reins at CENTCOM

Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis on Wednesday assumed command of US Central Command during a ceremony at its headquarters in Tampa, Fla. He now oversees US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Gen. Mattis is one of the most formidable...

Clinton Wants New START After August Recess

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged Senators to act quickly and vote in favor of the New START arms control agreement upon their return from August recess. “They must act because our national security is at risk,” she...

Getting a Taste of the Future

The Air Force has fielded a pilot version of the expeditionary combat support system, the new supply chain management tool that is expected to transform Air Force logistics. “Pilot A” went live about two weeks ago at Hanscom AFB, Mass.,...

Spreading Their Wings

The Afghan National Army Air Force has deployed four Mi-17 helicopters to flood-ravaged Pakistan in a humanitarian support mission that was coordinated without US participation, Brig. Gen. Michael Boera, head of the Combined Air Power Transition Force, told reporters Wednesday....

Building an Air Force

The Afghan National Army Air Force added a sixth C-27A transport to its inventory on Wednesday, said Brig. Gen Michael Boera, commanding general of the Combined Air Power Transition Force. The Afghans now have 49 airframes, up from 42 when...

Raytheon Unveils SDB II

Raytheon has released an image of its winning Small Diameter Bomb Increment II design. The illustration shows details of the GBU-53/B, such as its antenna placement. This air-delivered munition, dubbed SDB II, is meant to attack both stationary and moving...

Getting Battle Creek Ready for Battle

The Michigan Air National Guard’s 110th Air Operations Group in Battle Creek is conducting its first major command and control exercise this week. The group stood up in April 2009; it supports 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa), which is...

Finding a Replacement for ABL

A top Air Force scientist said a laser to replace the type of system used on the airborne laser testbed aircraft may not be too far away. “It’s getting very close,” said Howard Schlossberg, program manager for the Air Force...

AFRL Looks to Nature

Air Force researchers at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are developing tiny unmanned aircraft that mimic the flight characteristics of small birds and insects. “We take the technology that we have and we try to design something that does the same thing...

Air Sorties from SWA 080210

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, August 2-3, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 55 122 177 14,961 CAS/Armed Recon 44 162 206 20,507 Airlift 332 332 37,291 Air refueling 110 110 9,915 Rescue 76 76 4,537 Total...