September 25, 2006 | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The J-Model at War:

Maryland Air National Guard crews flying C-130J Hercules airlifters in Southwest Asia have quickly become immersed in wartime operations. Herc crews typically fly tactical approaches in to airfields in Afghanistan and Iraq, meaning they take off and land in as...

Full Combat Experience:

The C-130J’s deployed combat experience is felt in other ways as well. ANG Maj. Julie Petrina, a J model pilot, told reporters Monday at the AFA’s Washington conference that missions into dangerous areas are flown with aircrew members wearing survival...

What the J Can Do For You:

Maj. Julie Petrina, an ANG C-130J pilot, noted Monday at the AFA conference that the Maryland Guard had to educate mission planners in the theater about the C-130J’s capabilities. Compared to older E and H model Hercules, the C-130Js fly...

Tanker Award On Schedule:

Air Force officials have confirmed that the service is on track for its aerial refueling contract award, saying a report in the Wall Street Journal about a delay is wrong. The Air Force will issue a draft request for proposal...

The Fast in Rapid:

George Muellner, president of Boeing’s Advanced Systems unit, says the company has restructured over the past year to align with the defense market. “We had a good year,” he told reporters at a company briefing at AFA’s Air & Space...

New Focus:

Muellner said Boeing is putting greatest emphasis on persistent intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance assets, along with long-range strike, “because those are the two areas that our customers say are their greatest needs.” Toward that end, Boeing is emphasizing unmanned aerial systems with long...

The JSF, In Hindsight:

In his Air Force days, Muellner was the top blue-suit acquisition official, and also the “father” of the Joint Strike Fighter; he was the director of the program that established joint requirements for what is now the F-35. His observation:...

FAB-T on Track:

Boeing’s work on the family of advanced line-of-sight terminals (FAB-T) program for the Air Force is on track for delivery in 2008 after an estimated 18-month delay, according to Roger Krone, president of network and space systems with Boeing Integrated...

ULA Still Kicking:

The Air Force has said the United Launch Alliance is an urgent need, Roger Krone, president of Boeing’s network and space systems, told reporters Monday at AFA’s Washington conference, but the program’s fate is still in the hands of the...

Ready for Hit to Kill:

Boeing has conducted three flight tests of the ground based mid-course defense system at Ft. Greeley, Alaska, including one intercept test. Boeing’s network and space systems president, Roger Krone, told reporters Monday at the AFA Air & Space Conference that...

Gaining 10 “Attrition” C-17s:

Defense appropriators agreed late last week to buy an additional 10 new C-17 airlifters, adding $2.1 billion to the 2007 defense spending bill as part of the House-Senate conference agreement. This comes on top of the $2.2 billion the Administration...

They Love Their Air Guard:

The folks in Oregon’s Klamath County have decided to aid the Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Klamath’s Kingsley Field by providing $30,000 to aid recruiting efforts. The wing needs to add up to 136 positions for its expanded...

Airman Joins Elite Company:

TSgt. Stephen Achey, a combat controller with the 682nd Air Support Operations Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C., received a Keeper of the Flame Award last week, along with members of the other military services and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of...

“No Single Silver Bullet”:

The new boss at Air Force Space Command, Gen. Kevin Chilton, admits that the solution to creating greater “situational awareness” in space lies in two areas: advanced technology and improved intelligence. “There’s no single silver bullet to solve this issue,” he told reporters at Peterson AFB, Colo., recently. Right now the AFSPC can count and keep track of what’s in space, but Chilton says it’s time to go to the next level, identifying a spacecraft and understanding its mission and intent. To increase the intelligence focus, says Chilton, “you need the kind of folks with the skills to be able to take information in from the space environment, analyze it, and make an assessment.” He asserts that the “knowledge base” needed for space intelligence is different than that needed for air-breathing, land, or naval intelligence. Looking at the numbers who can do this job today, says Chilton, “it’s time to start building up that expertise.”

Who Has the Answer?:

The Government Accounting Office does not think the Air Force approach to managing its space workforce will “ensure it has enough space acquisition personnel or personnel who are technically proficient to meet national security needs,” according to a new GAO...

So That’s the Problem:

The National Reconnaissance Office took umbrage at a recent Government Accountability Office report (see above) in which the GAO claims NRO priority in hiring personnel has deprived Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center of personnel with the...

Reserve Honors Gulf Coast Cities:

Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss., has dedicated two of its aircraft to cities along the Gulf Coast. A WC-130J Hurricane Hunter now bears the name of the City of Gulfport, acknowledged by Mayor Brent Warr...

Less Powerful North Korea:

North Korea is now a much less powerful threat than it used to be, said Navy Adm. William Fallon, commander of US Pacific Command. When asked about the North Korean conventional—not nuclear—threat, Fallon told defense reporters in Washington Thursday that...