The Combat-Tested J Has To Fill Squares

One would think that the C-130J has already “graduated,” considering its made its first combat air drop on June 30 in Southwest Asia. Yet, the newest Hercules has to complete the formal phase 2 of its qualification operational test and...

The Wynne Standard:

New Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne says that the Air Force needs to have transparent process oversight—“that maybe we never had before.” For Wynne, it is as simple as: “Say what you are going to do, and do what you...

Wynne Wants “Aggressive” Jointness

The new Secretary maintains that the Air Force has always been a joint service, but he wants it to seek out new missions instead of “waiting to be asked.” He calls this approach: “aggressively pursuing joint.” The Air Force already...

The C-130 Fix-It Plan

The Air Force has set a three-phase approach to tackle the C-130E center wing box crack problem that grounded some 30 older model Hercules and restricted another 60 E and H models. According to the Macon Telegraph, the Warner Robins...

Must Be Vision Time

Gen. Ronald E. Keys, head of Air Combat Command, voiced his views recently, saying that he has five focus areas: people, expeditionary operations, recapitalization, organization, and transformation. Key to his plan for recapitalization, he says, is creating “fiscal headroom.” To...

Taking the Judge To Court

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has come under fire for his service as an Air Force Reserve colonel sitting as a judge on the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. Attorneys for A1C Charles Lane are trying to...

More Aid to Pakistan

The Air Force continues airlift operations to support the Pakistan earthquake relief effort, with several flights over the weekend. On Sunday, an Air Force C-130, a contracted AN-124, and one B-747 flew in more than 307,000 pounds of supplies. On...

Air Action over SWA

The weekend saw more air strikes in Iraq. On Nov. 6, USAF F-16s and US Navy F-14s used precision guided munitions to strike Iraqi insurgents in the area of Al Qaim. On Nov. 5, USAF F-16s struck a building used...

The Osprey Icing Incident

The engine icing that caused a CV-22 Osprey bound for Edwards AFB, Calif., from Amarillo, Tex., on Oct. 18 to land in Arizona was no big deal, per V-22 program officials. They told the Amarillo Globe-News this week that the...

Identity of Mystery Airman Narrowed:

Anthropologists at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command’s identification lab at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, are hard at work trying to identify a World War II-era airman whose remains were discovered in a Sierra Nevada glacier last month. (DR, 10/21/05) According to...

Privatized Housing at Hanscom Moves Forward:

A year ago this week, the process of privatizing base housing at Hanscom AFB, Mass., began, and is now moving on to the next phase, which includes demolishing the first 80 of the base’s unoccupied old housing units to make...

LOCAAS Testing at Eglin:

Lockheed Martin says it has conducted a successful operator-in-the-loop flight test of the Low-Cost Autonomous Attack System at Eglin AFB, Fla. LOCAAS is an autonomous, wide-area search miniature munition that is equipped with laser radar seeker. Launched from a King...

Kiss And Make Up:

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has confirmed that Israel is now a member in good standing of the Joint Strike Fighter club again, according to Reuters. The US and Israel reached an agreement after falling out over Israeli arms exports...

At Constant Ready in the Baltics:

The F-16 pilots of the 23rd Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany, will be wrapping up their NATO deployment to secure the airspace over Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in December. (DR, 10/13/05) During their 90-day tour, the 23rd’s aircraft and aircrews...

Ruthless Raven Strikes:

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is leading the charge of Operation Ruthless Raven, a joint effort to combat drug smuggling by identifying vulnerabilities in the Air Force transportation and mail system. The operation comprises Air Force, DOD, and...

Senate Delivers Housing Help for Disabled Vets:

The Senate has passed legislation aimed at helping disabled veterans who live with relatives. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Sununu (R-N. H.), directs the VA to set up a five-year pilot program offering from $10,000 to $50,000 grants to...

Will It Catch On?:

New York City played host to the first Salute Our Heroes Veterans Job Fair and Career Expo, bringing some 7,000 military veterans together with 87 private sector, government, and union employers. Hosting the event was the New York Times, NYC...

The Minority Reach:

The Pentagon’s director for equal opportunity, Clarence Johnson, has been getting the word out that DOD wants to beef up its diversity—particularly with scientists and engineers. Speaking at the Minority Serving Institutions Research Partnerships Conference in Chicago, Johnson noted that...

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism

November 4-6, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 28 12 – 40 CAS/Armed Recon 156 60 – 216 Airlift – – 460 460 Air refueling – – 96 96 Total 184 72 556 812 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...