Daily Report

May 12, 2011

Air Force Accepts First Production F-35A

The Air Force has accepted its first F-35A production aircraft from prime contractor Lockheed Martin. It’s the first of the 1,763 state-of-the-art stealthy F-35As that the Air Force plans to buy to form the core of its fifth generation fighter...

Strategic Choices

Undersecretary of the Air Force Erin Conaton said Wednesday senior Air Force leaders are “very supportive” of the rigorous strategic review that the Defense Department is getting ready to launch to identify areas of cost-cutting across the services and determine...

Combating Cost Growth

The Air Force would have to cut 47,000 airmen out of its total force just to hold personnel spending at a constant rate between Fiscal 2011 and Fiscal 2017, said Undersecretary Erin Conaton during an AFA-sponsored presentation Wednesday in Arlington,...

Fallen EOD Technicians Honored

Nearly 3,000 military personnel, family members, and friends gathered at Eglin AFB, Fla., to honor the explosive ordnance disposal technicians who have died in operations since World War II and add the names of the 15 EOD personnel who lost...

Seven Months in a Tiny Cockpit

Col. Lenny Dick became only the fourth F-16 pilot to reach 5,000 flight hours in the Viper. He reached the milestone on Monday during a sortie over the Arizona Desert to test an F-16 software upgrade. He is vice commander...

Aerostat Crashes near Tucson

High winds reportedly caused an Air Force aerostat to slip its mooring at an Army installation near the Mexican border and crash into a residential neighborhood south of Tucson, Ariz. Facing gusts up to 50 miles per hour, the Tethered...

UAE Joins Globemaster Club

Boeing delivered the first C-17 transport to the United Arab Emirates during a ceremony at the company’s plant in Long Beach, Calif. “It is with great pride that we accept delivery of our first C-17, which will help expand our...