“The Facts” From Alabama:

In an op-ed in the Press-Register Sunday, three lawmakers from Alabama wrote that Boeing recently “has gone to alarming lengths to spread inaccurate and misleading information” about their competitor—the Northrop Grumman-EADS North America team—in the Air Force tanker replacement program...

Shooting for January:

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told lawmakers last week that the service expects to award a KC-X tanker contract in January, not Feb. 29 as staffers for Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) told media in Mobile. Perhaps there is some confusion...

Count Colorado In:

Late they may be, but Colorado officials are now working to secure the Air Force’s new Cyber Command for Colorado Springs. The Gazette reports that Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) and Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) joined other Colorado legislators in signing...

Meanwhile, Averting an End Run?:

According to Colorado Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, one of the states vying for the new Cyber Command (see above), Nebraska, is trying to entice Air Force Space Command and US Northern Command to move from Colorado to Nebraska. The Denver...

The Long Haul:

The B-2 bomber aircrews and maintainers deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, from Whiteman AFB, Mo., are participating in the 18-hour-missions that make up a Koa Lightning exercise. Working with them on the 6,880-nautical mile flights from Andersen to Hawaii and...

Rescuing a Damaged Bone:

Air Force Materiel Command personnel from various units united to figure out how to get a B-1B bomber damaged by a fire in its No. 4 engine during a mission over Afghanistan to a safe environment for repairs. John Scaggs...

Not Fast Enough:

At least one lawmaker is criticizing US Northern Command and the Air Force for not responding more quickly to the California wildfires with firefighting tankers. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) wants to “know why those...

From the MAFFS Units:

The Wyoming and North Carolina Air National Guard crews flying MAFFS-equipped C-130s (see above) to help fight the California wildfires last week flew 12 missions, dropping 32,400 gallons of fire retardant, according to an Oct. 26 report by TSgt. Mike...

A First for Global Hawk:

The Air Force put its high flying Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle to work for the first time in the US for a civil support mission when it aided California firefighting efforts, according to a US Northern Command release. The...

More Fire Support:

The Air Force also tapped the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Field, Calif., to provide two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and air, rescue, and maintenance crews. They flew to Los Alamitos Army Airfield, to provide search...

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism

Oct. 24-26, 2007 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 56 33 89 CAS/Armed Recon 143 107 250 Airlift 452 452 Air refueling 118 118 Total 199 140 570 909 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance Airlift includes Horn...