Daily Report

The active and reserve components stand united, along with Air Force leadership, behind the difficult decisions made regarding Air Force force structure in Fiscal 2013 and the ultimate goal of “sustaining a ready, a vital, and a viable Total Force,”...

In a series of meetings, the Air Force was unable to mollify state governors unhappy about planned changes to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve force structure, said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz June 11. Answering questions at...

The Air Force is satisfied there’s been enough time to solve concurrency problems with the F-35 strike fighter—at least with its own F-35A version, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told the Daily Report June 11. Asked if the slowdown...

Air Force accident investigators concluded that pilot error led to a C-17 transport being severely damaged in a landing accident at Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan in January, announced Air Mobility Command. "The pilot and co-pilot failed to identify that the landing distance required to safely stop the aircraft exceeded the runway length," according to AMC's June 11 release, which cites the findings of the accident investigation board's report. As a result, the airlifter overran the FOB's airstrip and impacted a berm, causing significant damage to the landing gear, undercarriage, cargo bay floor, underbelly mounted antennas, and main structural components, according to the release. Investigators concluded that the failure of ground personnel at Shank to properly assess the runway's condition and suitability for landings also contributed to the crash. Although there were no significant injuries or damage to other equipment, AMC tallied the cost of the repairs to the aircraft alone at $69.4 million. (AIB report executive summary)

A Navy Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft crashed on June 11 near Maryland’s Bloodsworth Island in the Chesapeake Bay, approximately 22 miles east of NAS Patuxent River, Md., announced the sea service. The Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator airplane went...

Officials at Travis AFB, Calif., inactivated the 615th Contingency Response Wing, ending the unit’s seven years of operations, according to a base release. The move leaves the Air Force with one consolidated unit, the 621st CRW at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.,...

F-16s from the 425th Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB, Ariz., last week flew to Cold Lake AB, Canada, for a simulated allied air campaign with aircraft from nine other countries at Maple Flag 2012. “We regularly participate in Maple Flag...

South Dakota Air National Guard pilots last week flew their F-16 Block 40 fighters for the first time in a major exercise, dropping ordnance over the Smokey Hills ANG Range in Kansas, according to local press reports. The 114th Fighter...

Royal Canadian Air Force Col. David Lowthian became the first international student at Air University to receive the Air Force Secretary Leadership Award, according to an RCAF release. Lowthian received the 2012 award last month from Air Force Secretary Michael...

Army Maj. Gen. Charles Hooper, US Africa Command’s director of strategy, plans, and programs, said AFRICOM’s small force structure, limited assets, and relatively small budget stand as a model for the leaner, more agile operations outlined in the Obama Administration’s...