Daily Report

The Air Force’s second X-37B experimental spaceplane, OTV-2, this week eclipsed one full year on orbit and continues to perform well, said service officials. “We are very pleased with the results of the ongoing X-37B experiments,” said Lt. Col. Tom...

The integrated team of airmen, marines, and sailors at Eglin AB, Fla., on Tuesday launched the first F-35A sortie from the base since the Air Force last week cleared the F-35A for initial flight operations at the Florida installation, home...

F-15E pilot Lt. Col. Daren Sorenson, currently serving as staff director of the 414th Combat Training Squadron at Nellis AB, Nev., received his second Distinguished Flying Cross, recognized for his heroism in defending 50 coalition troops ambushed by insurgents in...

Efforts to recapitalize and modernize US Special Operations Command's rotary- and fixed-wing fleets are progressing well, said Adm. William McRaven, SOCOM commander. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, McRaven said Air Force Special Operations Command has fielded 23 of its 50 planned CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The Osprey "continues to deliver unmatched speed and range to SOF battlefield commanders," he said. AFSOC also has completed modifying 12 MC-130Ws with a precision strike package, "which continues to perform superbly in combat," said McRaven. It has also started efforts to field AC-130J gunships to replace legacy AC-130 platforms, "using the MC-130W PSP as a key risk-reducing capability," he noted. Further, AFSOC's MC-130J successfully completed developmental testing in June and is on track to replace aging MC-130E and MC-130P special-mission aircraft, he said. (McRaven's prepared testimony)

President Obama announced on Tuesday that his Administration reached a “landmark settlement” with some of the nation’s largest banks to protect members of the US military from wrongful home foreclosures or unfair mortgage interest rates. “It is unconscionable that members...

Of the Air Force’s $3.9 billion budget request in Fiscal 2013 for military construction, military family housing, and facilities, the largest chunk—some $2.8 billion—is programmed for operations and maintenance of the service’s facilities, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told the...

US Air Forces in Europe investigators conclusively determined that pilot error, stemming from spatial disorientation, caused an A-10C assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, to crash north of Laufeld, Germany, last April. Returning from a training sortie, the pilot descended into poor visibility at 5,500 feet in altitude, flying in close formation with the lead A-10, according to the accident investigation board's findings. The pilot lost visual contact with his flight leader on approach to the runway and executed an incomplete maneuver to establish a safe distance between the aircraft, states the AIB's newly issued report. The pilot became disoriented and could not recover the aircraft before ejecting at 600 feet, states the report. The pilot's parachute only partially deployed and because of this, he was badly injured in the mishap, states the report. Factors like meteorological conditions and procedural error contributed to the crash, states the report. Loss of the A-10 is estimated at $16.1 million. (Spangdahlem release) (AIB report executive summary) (AIB full report; caution, large-sized file.)

Two C-17s brought a group of about 80 US personnel and medical supplies from Andersen AFB, Guam, and JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to Legazpi International Airport in the Philippines for Operation Pacific Angel-Philippines, a six-day humanitarian mission that runs through...

The US military is launching a program this year called Africa Partnership Flight to help build the capacity of partner air forces on the African continent, said Army Gen. Carter Ham, head of US Africa Command. The first event under the APF rubric is scheduled for this month in Ghana, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee. AFP will be primarily an Air Force-run effort that "will enable committed African states to enhance their aviation capabilities, foster greater regional cooperation, and increase air domain safety and security in Africa," stated Ham. It will feature "low-footprint, short-duration, high-impact, sustainable, and predictable engagement," he said. AFP is modeled after the Navy's Africa Partnership Station initiative, noted Ham in his March 1 testimony. (Ham's prepared statement) (For more Ham coverage, read Building a Larger Guard Role in Africa.)

The Air Force plans to continue supporting US Central Command with the Blue Devil Block 1 persistent intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance system in Fiscal 2013, said Steven Walker, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for science, technology, and engineering. Blue Devil Block 1 is...