Top defense leaders unveiled their new tanker acquisition strategy Thursday, telling reporters at the Pentagon they believe the requirements are more concise, far less subjective and without ambiguity. “This is a ‘best value’” competition, Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn said....

Potential contractors and Congress both have 60 days to have a look at the new tanker draft request for proposals and offer comments and suggestions. After that, the Pentagon will release a final RFP, and contractors will have 60 days...

In general, lawmakers on either side of the Air Force’s tanker recapitalization issue are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the Pentagon’s new start. Those who support the Northrop Grumman-EADS team praise the Pentagon for saying it would not consider the...

Depot technicians from Hill AFB, Utah, and maintainers at Shaw AFB, S.C., have been adding a new beyond-line-of-sight communications package to the Shaw F-16 fleet in time for the 79th Fighter Squadron’s upcoming deployment. To accomplish the upgrade, which enables...

Air Force Reserve Command boss Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner confirmed at a Heritage Foundation presentation Thursday in Washington, D.C., that Reserve end strength is headed back up—and will reach an end strength of around 73,000 by 2013. Like the active...

Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds, head of Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, Mass., speaking at the Net-centric Operations Conference this week in New Castle, N.H., said USAF should really “decide what the crown jewels are and focus on protecting them”...

In a comparison of nuclear weapons security measures taken by Energy and Defense, the Government Accountability Office found DOD lacking in several respects, according to a new GAO report. DOD partially concurred with several findings, such as the need to...

Air Mobility Command’s 724th Air Mobility Squadron at Aviano AB, Italy, has a new 34,000-plus square feet, $10 million passenger and air freight terminal that provides for closer parking of large aircraft, reducing cargo loading and passenger travel time. NATO...

Air Force officials formally reactivated the 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., on Sept. 17. The 57th Wing at Nellis decided it needed to split the 57th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in half to provide more focused maintenance efforts....

The Tactical Satellite-3 launched in May has completed critical calibration and is now “focused on conducting experiments and supporting demonstrations,” said Dr. Thomas Cooley, TacSat-3 program manager with Air Force Research Lab’s Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M. TacSat-3...

The National Aeronautic Association announced earlier this year that the B-1B crew Bone 23 would receive the 2008 Mackay Trophy for its support of ground forces during a July 13, 2008, troops-in-contact situation in Afghanistan. The crew—Maj. Norman Shelton, Capt....