Scott Crossfield, the legendary civilian test pilot who was the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound, died at the controls of his single-engine Cessna on Wednesday flying back from Atlanta to his home in Virginia. The...

The F-22 Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, Calif., has completed another first by flying an F-22 Raptor armed with the newest—as yet unfielded—AIM-120D Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. The Edwards crew was checking noise and vibration effects on the...

Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) has received written assurance from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that Air Force Space Command will remain a four-star command. “I wanted an unmistakable commitment from the Air Force that we would continue to pursue US national...

The Defense Department has asked Congress to include some “force-shaping” incentives in the Fiscal 2007 defense authorization act. Although DOD is asking for separation incentives to cover all departments, its explanatory text singled out the Air Force for special attention,...

The “Doolittle Raiders” of the historical April 18, 1942, raid on Tokyo, Japan, recently gathered in Dayton, Ohio, for their 64th reunion—opening the normally private ceremony to the media. Eight of the 16 surviving Raiders were present, with retired Lt....

Congress last year rewrote the rules of defense procurement reporting, but the Pentagon wants to “clarify” the new reporting requirements, according to legislative proposals submitted earlier this month. DOD wants to define the term “original baseline estimate” “as the baseline...

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said Wednesday that he is reserving the right to shut down the USAF-operated Manas Air Base if the US does not renegotiate the contract on the facility’s use. According to Reuters news service, Bakiyev expects a...

The Air Force selected Boeing for a $181 million contract to upgrade the fire control radar on the B-1B bomber fleet. The reliability and maintainability improvement program (RMIP) is expected to take nine years to complete. The company is to...

The airmen of Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa, have updated the base’s Medal of Honor Memorial, adding the name of SSgt. William Pitsenbarger—a Vietnam-era pararescuemen who defended 20 infantrymen during an April 11, 1966 operation in...

Need an air traffic management component for a particular aircraft, go online with Electronic Systems Center’s new automated Web-based shopping service. ESC’s Global Air Traffic Management Division at Hanscom AFB, Mass., created an online catalog of commercial-off-the-shelf ATM components that...

The Pentagon is pushing hard to raise Tricare fees for retirees under 65—and Congress is pushing back. Lawmakers have called for an independent review, while legislation in both House and Senate would scale back Pentagon plans. At least one former...

There is a new monograph from Rand analysts say that China has “keenly observed” American military transformation efforts over the past few years and sees them as “accelerating.” The report highlights options that the Rand analysts believe Beijing is pursuing...

The Electronic System Center’s Weather Systems Division has awarded a $9 million contract modification to Raytheon to implement Phase II of the Joint Environment Toolkit—a single, next-generation weather system that will integrate and possibly replace multiple Air Force weather weapon...

April 19, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 13 4 17 CAS/Armed Recon 38 22 60 Airlift 160 160 Air refueling 29 29 Total 51 26 189 266 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance