Chief Scientist: Manufacturing, Power Prime Candidates for Space Research

If the Air Force wants to be able to do more in space, its science enterprise must follow. In an April 15 interview with Air Force Magazine, Chief Scientist Richard Joseph said the military can learn more about manufacturing and assembly in space, the materials that could both enable and be reaped during space operations, and new ways of harnessing energy as the demand for power grows. Mining on the moon and finding lighter materials could open new opportunities for fabricating systems on orbit as well. Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

NOAA Upgrades Hurricane Michael to Category 5, the Fourth in US History

Hurricane Michael, the massive storm that directly hit Tyndall AFB and the Florida Panhandle in October, has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm—the first to make landfall in the US since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday that post-storm analysis completed recently estimated the storm brought sustained winds of 160 mph, a 5 mph increase over initial estimates. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

US Aircraft, Ships End Search for Japanese F-35, Investigation Ongoing

The United States will no longer provide aircraft and maritime support in the search for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35A that crashed into the Pacific Ocean on April 9, but it will continue to provide assistance in other ways, such as helping to determine the cause of the crash. Speaking during a 2+2 meeting with Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Japanese Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya said Japan’s maritime search will continue. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

Air University to Host Second Electromagnetic Defense Summit

As the Air Force begins to put the lessons it learned from a yearlong study of electromagnetic spectrum dominance into practice, an Air University-led team’s second annual summit this month promises to continue shaping how the government sees the emerging domain. Up to 300 participants from across and outside of the government are expected to attend this year’s Electromagnetic Defense Task Force gathering April 29-May 1. Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

RADAR SWEEP

Ensuring the Common Defense: The Case for Fifth Generation Airpower

The United States Air Force today is operating a fighter aircraft inventory on the brink of disaster. These fighters, most designed at the conclusion of the Vietnam War and produced in the 1980s, are increasingly ill-suited to meet future threats. Worse, aircraft like the F-15C Eagle face structural integrity limits that will see this fighter retired by the early 2020s. An immediate change in policy and resourcing is required to restore vital U.S. military fighter aircraft capability and capacity. AFA’s Mitchell Institute policy paper

Hungary Will Lead NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Next Month

Hungary will lead NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission beginning next month at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania with assistance by Britain and Spain. UPI

What the Air Force Learned from Insurgents’ Networks

Air Force leaders plan to experiment this summer with a mesh network that would allow military users in hard-to-reach areas to connect to the service’s top secret network and share intelligence information without the fear of losing service. C4ISRNET

North Korea Didn’t Fire a Ballistic Missile — Here’s What US Intelligence Believes It Actually Tested

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said North Korea did not fire a ballistic missile on Wednesday, adding there has been “no change to our posture or to our operations.” Business Insider

America’s 1st Female Astronaut Candidate, Jerrie Cobb, Dies

America’s first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died. Associated Press via Air Force Times

One More Thing …

Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon

Researchers from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., report that streams of meteoroids striking the moon infuse the thin lunar atmosphere with a short-lived water vapor. NASA