Would It Were So:

Stars and Stripes carries a report that the Air Force intends to rethink its ongoing cut of some 40,000 personnel, referring to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne’s Sept. 19 remarks before a Washington think tank. The intent of Wynne’s comments...

Raptor Drops SDB:

Test personnel at the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, Calif., conducted the first drop of the Small Diameter Bomb from the internal weapons bay of an F-22A earlier this month, according to a Sept. 26 release. Maj. Jack...

An Ode to Herks:

The Lexington Institute’s Loren Thompson has just issued a new 14-page report “C-130J: How the Best Military Aircraft Became Even Better” that extols the many virtues of the C-130 Hercules, which he terms “the most successful aircraft in the history...

Chilton on the Hot Seat:

The Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday grilled Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, nominated in July to take charge of US Strategic Command. Chilton, who currently heads Air Force Space Command, told the Senators that STRATCOM “has a lot on its...

Speeding up Army Expansion:

Speaking with defense reporters in Washington Thursday morning, Army Secretary Pete Geren said he is negotiating an acceleration of the Army’s troop expansion plan—moving up the addition of some 65,000 soldiers by a year. The announcement comes as the Air...

Army Owns “Last Tactical Mile” Says Geren:

Army Secretary Pete Geren made no bones about the future of the Joint Cargo Aircraft program Thursday during a morning session with Washington-based defense reporters. “The last tactical mile is an Army mission; it’s not an Air Force mission, and...

Executive Agency Fallout:

Defending the recent Pentagon decision not to give the Air Force executive agency over medium- to high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles, Army Secretary Pete Geren told defense reporters Thursday that the Army’s modernization goals don’t fit with an executive agent approach....

Army’s View of Air Force Needs:

Asked about Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne’s recent comments that USAF is “going out of business,” Geren—himself a former acting Air Force Secretary—was sympathetic. “The Air Force has a very old fleet of aircraft and does need to recapitalize, and...

For Industry, the Future Is Now:

The aerospace defense industry is in the midst of profound transformation, driven by three fundamental elements: globalization, the digital thread, and network-centric logistics. Ralph Heath, executive VP for Lockheed Martin, told attendees at AFA’s Air & Space Conference Sept. 26...

Africa’s New Strategic Era:

Africa is undergoing an important emerging geopolitical change, and the American perception of Africa is changing as well, Georgetown University professor Chester Crocker told attendees at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington this week. Though the African Union will...

Top Honors at Air & Space Conference:

Among the top awards presented during this week’s annual AFA Air & Space Conference in Washington was the H.H. Arnold Award, presented to Air Combat Command boss Gen. Ron Keys, who is retiring this fall, for the most significant contribution...

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism

Sept. 25, 2007 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 21 6 27 CAS/Armed Recon 53 40 93 Airlift 140 140 Air refueling 49 49 Total 74 46 189 309 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance Airlift includes Horn...