A team from Headquarters Air Force is taking stock this week of the utility of Cannon AFB, N.M., for new missions. The 2005 BRAC decisions stripped Cannon of its F-16 squadrons but spared the base—at least until 2009 when it...

Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin’s point man for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter manufacturing, had an interesting story about the recent ups and downs of the new fighter. He told reporters visiting the Fort Worth facility that the company was asked by...

Ralph Heath, vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, says he’s “not losing any sleep” over whether the F/A-22 or F-35 will survive the Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review. “There’s a declining defense budget; … that’s a reality,” Heath observes. So, how...

The California delegation that came to Washington to lobby C-17 support (DR 11/30/05) has come away “cautiously optimistic,” Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.) told reporters after the group met with Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne. According to Millender-McDonald, Wynne recognizes the...

USAF Security Forces deployed to Southwest Asia find themselves going beyond the typical Air Force blue SF work of protecting an air base. They are taking over some area security missions normally performed by US Army soldiers. At Camp Bucca,...

The 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron—made up of airmen from around the Air Force—at Forward Operating Base Speicher are serving as escorts for truck convoys through the dangerous corridors around Tikrit, Iraq. These escort airmen trained at an intensive Basic...

USAF mechanics of the 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Support Squadron at FOB Speicher, keep the gun trucks and other convoy vehicles running. While they are performing the same job they might with typical blue-suit vehicles, Air Force mechanic SSgt. Mel Perero...

Air Force Wants Wargame Program for “Dummies”: USAF has proffered $750,000 to Stottler Henke Associates to provide a software toolkit—called WarCon—that will make it possible for instructors who are subject matter experts rather than computer programmers to create computer-based wargames....

Iran is gathering up foreign technology for its nascent satellite program. According to Associated Press news service, the effort has gained urgency because Iranians believe the West—read that US—will try to curtail its space efforts like it is doing with...

Tom Burbage, Lockheed’s F-35 VP, says partner countries are assessing their future needs just as the US Defense Department is doing with its Quadrennial Defense Review. And, he notes that the partners are “anxiously awaiting” the results of the QDR...

The nine non-US countries signed up as partners on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program have a combined airframe requirement of 600 to 800—basically equivalent to the whole Navy/Marine Corps planned buy. Those export aircraft are worth some $60 billion....

Joining an elite group of 10 F-16 fighter pilots who have broken the 4,000 flying-hour mark in a Viper is Col. William Binger, deputy commander of the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group, Balad AB, Iraq.

Gen. Bruce Carlson, AFMC commander, commented recently on the need to stem the space brain drain. (DR 11/22/05) Air Force Research Lab is at the forefront of one effort to do just that. AFRL joined with the Air Force Office...

Naval aviators give credit where credit is due. In the latest issue of Balad’s Red Tail Flyer, Navy Lt. Bryan Sory offered his appreciation for USAF air traffic controllers in Iraq, writing: “I’ve flown under their control many times and...

The 11th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale AFB, La., is “home” to all B-52 aircrew—pilots, navigators, and electronic warfare officers. The squadron runs BUFF initial and upgrade training, and, in 2005, the unit processed 315 B-52 students—180 were brand new to the...

Kyrgyzstan’s President now says he’s worried about the environmental aspect of the ongoing use of Manas Air Base by American forces. He told Russian news agency Interfax this week that the environmental issue “is well-grounded and requires review together with...

The Air Mobility Warfare Center’s Mobility Operations School is developing “M-learning,” for mobility learning, to keep expeditionary airmen up to date on their air transportation training. The system employs handheld devices—PDAs (personal digital assistants)—and laptops that airmen can upload with...

Raytheon officials say the company recently delivered the 2,000th Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) to the US Air Force. The event marked 48 months of on-time deliveries to JSOW users—USAF, Navy, and Marine Corps, assert company officials. JSOW production moves into...

November 29, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 7 2 – 9 CAS/Armed Recon 55 20 – 75 Airlift – – 155 155 Air refueling – – 35 35 Total 62 22 190 274 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...