Daily Report

Orlando, Fla.—Technology could soon make combat aircraft considerably less costly for friend and foe alike. Remotely piloted aircraft will likely cost “one-third to one-half” as much as manned aircraft in the near future, said Northrop Grumman executive Christopher Bowie. That’s...

Orlando, Fla.—It’s time the Air Force gave clear guidance on educational requirements for enlisted airmen and officers, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh in his address at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here on Thursday. This would give airmen time...

Orlando, Fla. The KC-46A tanker has a new name—Pegasus, announced Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. Welsh said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James approved the recommendation from Air Mobility...

Orlando, Fla. The U-2 remains a high-demand asset in combatant commands around the world because of its flexibility and survivability, Lockheed Martin U-2 Director Melani Austin told reporters Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. Austin touted U-2 mission success...

Orlando, Fla.—Air Education and Training Command officials are developing new course work to be incorporated into Basic Military Training that is focused on reinforcing Air Force core values. Newly minted airmen will complete the program, which has been dubbed “transition...

Orlando, Fla.—Small countries can punch above their weight by following through on commitments and knowing what capabilities and missions to focus on, said Air Vice Marshal Graham Lintott, New Zealand’s air attaché in the United States. Speaking here on Thursday...

Orlando, Fla.—Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs Heidi Grant and the air attaches joining her here at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium on Thursday emphasized two themes: the US Air Force will shrink in size, but retain its...

The Air Force will declare initial operational capability with the C-5M Super Galaxy on Friday, according to senior service officials. The declaration means there are sufficient aircraft, training of flight and ground crews, as well as spares on hand both...

The Air Force will soon unveil a new way of doing business with commercial air freight carriers who participate in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, or CRAF, according to service leaders. Participation in CRAF allows the Air Force to “draft”...

The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking public comment by early April on the Air Force’s plan to expand the size of the Powder River Training Complex in several Great Plains states, reports Montana’s Billings Gazette. This is one of the...

The Air Force’s core values—Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do—are the fabric bonding airmen’s commitment and dedication to principles like duty and honor, writes CMSAF James Cody in the February issue of Roll Call. “We...

The United States must keep a forward presence in Europe even as defense budgets continue to decline, said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Speaking in Bethesda, Md., on Feb. 18, Hagel said the United States already has closed 80 percent of...

Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., to dedicate the new, 16.4-megawatt solar energy array on the grounds of the base. The set-up of photovoltaic panels, which occupies a total of some 170 acres of land at two...

Space Based Infrared System satellite operators now have a purpose-built training simulator, according to Air Force space officials. The 460th Space Wing’s Block 10 unit qualification trainer recently opened at Buckley AFB, Colo. It “will be used to train SBIRS...

Retired Col. George Robert Hall, who spent seven and a half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, died in a state veterans home in Collins, Miss., at the age of 83, reported WDAM TV of Hattiesburg,...

Researchers at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are testing electrical brain stimulation to keep remotely piloted aircraft operators alert during long missions. The Air Force Research Lab recently rigged several dozen volunteers with electrodes and tested them against a control group cramming...

A community-based mentorship program started at Shaw AFB, S.C., to help airmen strengthen their marriages, according to a base release. Maj. Richard Holmes, the 20th Fighter Wing’s deputy chaplain, began the program in November by using a marriage-mentorship manual to...