A-10 Crashes in Germany

An A-10 ground-attack aircraft assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, crashed Friday north of the German city of Wittlich near Laufeld, which is southwest of Bonn. German responders were first on the scene and transported the...

Learning the Cyber Lingo

Most people understand cyberspace from a user’s perspective, but few can make sense of the laws and regulations surrounding the military’s newest man-made domain, said Lt. Gen. Michael Basla, vice commander of Air Force Space Command, Friday. Nor can they...

Brains versus Brawn

Success in the cyber domain requires “big brains” instead of “big guns and big brawn,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Basla, vice commander of Air Force Space Command. Speaking at AFA’s first-ever CyberFutures Conference, Basla said the Air Force needs “CSI...

Never Underestimate Rate of Change

Senior leaders need to make sure they don’t underestimate how much change can occur in a decade, especially in the cyber domain, said Maj. Gen. Edward Bolton, Air Staff director of cyber and space operations, Friday at AFA’s CyberFutures Conference....

Conaton Highlights Budget Challenges

The costs of weapons system sustainment and manpower are of great concern to the Air Force as it tries to harmonize tightening budgets and burgeoning demands, Undersecretary Erin Conaton said Thursday. This sustainment “is a huge challenge” and “makes my...

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Diane Miller, director of operations for Northrop Grumman’s cybersecurity group, said Thursday defending data will only get more difficult with time. She was speaking on the CyberPatriot panel at AFA’s CyberFutures Conference. Part of the effort with AFA’s CyberPatriot, a...

Building Cyber Allies

Members of industry who sat on a panel Thursday at AFA’s CyberFutures Conference seemed to embrace the potential for the association’s CyberPatriot high school cyber defense competition to spread—even beyond US borders. Duke Ayers, program manager for SAIC’s Cyber Network...

Lightning Exit

Maj. Gen. Mark Solo, 19th Air Force commander, relieved Col. David Hlatky of command of the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Fla., on Thursday, Air Education and Training Command officials announced. They said Solo "lost confidence" in Hlatky’s ability to command as a result of a command-directed investigation following allegations of personal misconduct. Due to the nature of the investigation, they said they could not provide additional information on the matter. Hlatky will temporarily remain at Eglin, pending reassignment. Meanwhile, Col. Andrew Toth has assumed command of the wing. He previously served as the executive officer to the head of Air Combat Command at Langley AFB, Va. Hlatky took charge of the 33rd FW in October 2009 when the unit switched from flying combat-coded F-15s to training F-35 pilots and maintainers. (Randolph release)

Bud Day Flies Again in Super Sabre

Medal of Honor recipient retired Col. Bud Day took to the skies in an F-100F Super Sabre this week for the first time in 43 years. Day rode in the back seat of the newly restored F-100 during Tuesday’s commemorative...

Mockingbird Makes Contact

The Air Force Test Pilot School’s modified F-16, known as VISTA, joined with a KC-135 tanker in the skies over Edwards AFB, Calif., earlier this month. The goal of this exercise was to explore the dynamics of refueling an unmanned...

Stamping Out Revisionist History

F-111s from RAF Upper Heyford, Britain, did not bomb targets in Libya during Operation El Dorado Canyon in April 1986 as we reported Wednesday. Some of Upper Heyford’s EF-111s electronic-attack aircraft did, however, support the bombing raid. The F-111s that...