Daily Report

June 9, 2010

Skelton Waves F136 Shield

There is a strong case for keeping alive the F136, the second engine for the F-35 strike fighter, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Further, warned Skelton, President Obama...

Skelton Offers Helping Hand

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, says he is exploring three ways in which his panel could support Defense Secretary Robert Gate’s new initiative to reduce Pentagon overhead costs by more than $100 billion over...

Gulf Oil Spill Impacts Air Force Training

Air Education and Training Command has suspended parachute water survival instruction off of Pensacola, Fla., due to the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. David Smith, AETC spokesman, told the Daily Report Tuesday that “some tar...

Bagram Gets New Aircraft Ramp

The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing has opened a new aircraft parking ramp at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, one that greatly enhances the base’s capacity to support coalition operations in the Central Asian nation. Air Force and Army officials held a ribbon-cutting...

USAFE Holds Unified Engagement

US Air Forces in Europe officials are taking part this week in senior-level discussions with members of seven other militaries in Tallinn, Estonia, as part of Unified Engagement 2010. This event, which runs through Friday, is the fourth partnership building...

Getting the Northern Edge

RQ-4 Global Hawk efficiency has improved by about 50 percent since the Air Force began to use a flight route over Canada in April for ferrying these remotely piloted surveillance aircraft from Beale AFB, Calif., to forward operating locations in...

Another C-5 Enters RERP Line

Lockheed Martin announced Wednesday that it has inducted the third Air Force C-5 transport into its production line in Marietta, Ga., to receive new engines and reliability enhancements under the RERP program. “We are excited every time we induct an aircraft to become a Super Galaxy, because it is the sunrise of a new generation of strategic airlifters," said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed's C-5 vice president. This aircraft, a C-5B model, will be the sixth C-5 that will be converted to the new C-5M Super Galaxy configuration. The first three C-5s were modified while the RERP upgrades were still in development and the production line was being established. Overall, the Air Force plans to modify 52 C-5s (one C-5A, 49 C-5Bs, and two C-5Cs) to the new configuration.

World War II Bomber Pilot to Receive DFC

Ralph Hoehn, a B-24 bomber pilot who took part in 35 missions over Europe in World War II, is scheduled to receive a much-belated Distinguished Flying Cross on June 25 during a ceremony at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Hoehn served with...

Air Sorties from SWA 052710

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, May 27, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 25 52 77 9,362 CAS/Armed Recon 22 77 99 13,790 Airlift 180 180 25,188 Air refueling 54 54 6,444 Rescue 40 40 2,576 Total...