Sequester Versus F-35

If sequestration resumes in Fiscal 2016, “there will be an impact” on the F-35 production buys for all three US services, but it remains to be seen how much, program manager Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said. Bogdan noted that the...

F-35 Engine Fixes

Officials have completed the root cause analysis on why an F-35 engine caused an aircraft to burn in June, and temporary fixes are underway, program executive officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said. As he’d previously expected, compressor blades rubbed too...

DOD Authorizes Medal for Operation Inherent Resolve

After delaying the naming of the operation, the Defense Department announced Friday that service members deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve are eligible for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica...

Pararescueman Awarded Bronze Star with Valor

MSgt. Ivan Ruiz, a pararescueman with the 56th Rescue Squadron, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor at RAF Lakenheath, England, for his “outrageous acts of heroism” against enemy forces in Afghanistan in 2013. While assigned to the 22nd...

Busy Bagram

Bagram AB, Afghanistan, boasts the highest air traffic of any single-runway base in the Defense Department, currently handling 333,610 arrivals and departures a year. “We have completed 2.6 million operations since 2006,” said Capt. Kyle Sultemeier, airfield liaison for Bagram’s...

Impact of Antares Crash Still Unclear

Air Force officials are not yet sure how future launches out of the Wallops Island, Va., facility will be impacted, following the crash of a NASA-contracted vehicle on Oct. 28. Any impact won’t be decided until after the official investigation...

New Russian Ballistic Missile Begins Operational Tests

A Russian Borey Class ballistic missile submarine successfully conducted the first operational test of the Bulava nuclear-capable SLBM last week, the Russian News Agency reported. “The system has operated perfectly. All parameters were confirmed. The warhead hit the pre-calculated area,”...

Boeing Awarded New JDAM Contract

The Air Force awarded a new $307.5 million order to Boeing’s Defense, Space, and Security division on Thursday for an “undefinitized contract action” for an unspecified number of Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kits. The award, for production Lot 18...