Daily Report

Feb. 20, 2013

Mostly Sunny Work Skies

More than 80 percent of the approximately 163,000 airmen and Air Force civilians who participated in the 2012 Air Force Climate Survey said they were satisfied with their jobs, announced Air Force Personnel Center officials on Tuesday. Further, 95 percent...

Allen Opts to Retire

Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, who up until Feb. 10 led US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, announced on Tuesday that he would retire and step away from his nomination to become the senior US and NATO commander in Europe....

Going Mobile, Staying Secure

Air Force Space Command is implementing a program to distribute smart phones and electronic tablets to improve the operational capabilities of airmen across the force and the real-time functionality of service executives, announced command officials. The first stage of this...

Engine Anomaly Doomed Misawa F-16

The uncommanded closure of the main fuel shutoff valve on the engine of an F-16C flying from Misawa AB, Japan, on July 22, 2012, led to the airplane's crash in the Pacific Ocean, announced Pacific Air Forces officials on Tuesday. They cited the findings of its accident investigation board. The aircraft, assigned to Misawa's 14th Fighter Squadron, was part of a four-ship formation of F-16s en route from Misawa to Eielson AFB, Alaska, to participate in a Red Flag training exercise, according to the AIB report's executive summary. The F-16 experienced a loss of engine thrust from which the pilot was unable to recover, states PACAF's Feb. 19 release. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and was recovered without injury. The F-16, tail number 92-003886, crashed in waters approximately 750 miles northeast of Misawa and was destroyed, an estimated loss of $32.6 million, according to the documents. The board could not determine why the valve closure occurred due to the loss of certain pieces of aircraft equipment in the ocean, states the executive summary.

Air Operations Center Modernization Progresses to Detailed Design

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman completed the preliminary design review of the Air Operations Center Weapon System, thereby enabling the company’s modernization work to enter the detailed design phase, according to the company. The in-depth review, held at Northrop...

That’s a RAP

Lockheed Martin and the Air Force recently completed two successful flight tests of the company’s JASSM stealthy cruise missile, announced the company. “These flight tests validate our ongoing efforts to enhance JASSM’s capability, dependability, and affordability,” said Dave Melvin, Lockheed...

Land and Sea Exchange

The United States and Russia have agreed to exchange telemetric information this year on the launch of an ICBM or submarine-launched ballistic missile that each nation conducted in 2012, announced the State Department on Tuesday. This exchange falls under the...

Aircraft Maker Reborn

The former Hawker Beechcraft, now known simply as Beechcraft, has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a “dramatically reduced debt load” and “a stable, restructured balanced sheet,” announced the company on Feb. 19. “Today marks the rebirth of an 80-year-old...