NNSA: New GBSD Warhead Plan Costs Slightly More Than Refurbished Option
DOD Needs $395.6M More to Fix, Replace Hurricane-Ravaged Caribbean Facilities
Moody Pave Hawk Crews to Use New Deployment Model
Third and Fourth KC-46s Delivered to McConnell
The Air Force on Thursday took delivery of the third and fourth KC-46 tankers, less than a week after the first two landed at McConnell AFB, Kan. Two VIPs—USAF Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Lt. Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, the director of staff for headquarters Air Force—flew the two tankers from Boeing’s production facility in Everett, Wash., to McConnell. The deliveries continue the pace Boeing is expecting to set through the next year, averaging three KC-46 deliveries per month for a total of 36. The first four were delivered to McConnell, the first USAF operating location for the jet, and Boeing said last week it expects deliveries to Altus AFB, Okla., to begin next month. —Brian Everstine
Air Force Certifies Device Aimed at Addressing T-6 Oxygen Problems
US Strikes Al Shabaab in Somalia Again as Pace of Operations Increases
Watchdog Report Highlights Shortfalls in Afghan Air Force Capability, Training
Group of HASC Democrats Calls for Expanded Pentagon Climate Change Report
A trio of House Armed Services Committee Democrats wants the Defense Department to revise its January 2019 climate change report, saying NDAA-mandated elements of the document are missing, and criticizing DOD for not evaluating risks posed to Marine Corps bases and overseas installations across all of the services. They expressed their concerns in a Jan. 25 letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. Read the full story by Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory.
RADAR SWEEP
US to Announce Suspension of INF Treaty Compliance: US Officials
The United States will announce it is suspending its compliance with the U.S.-Russian Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, four U.S. officials said on Thursday. Reuters
US Air Force Flies 2 B-52H Bombers Over East China Sea
The two bombers flew an 11-hour mission over the East China Sea and Sea of Japan on January 28. The Diplomat
US Air Force’s Light-Attack Experiment Could Mix in Drones and Helos
The U.S. Air Force’s light-attack experiment is set to get a lot bigger, with the service considering adding drones, helicopters and more sophisticated aircraft to the mix in the future, the service’s top general told Defense News.
Did Defense Officials Hide Border Mission Details From Congress
Lawmakers want to know if Defense Department officials intentionally hid plans to boost troop deployments along the US southern border when they testified before Congress this week. Military Times
US Military Space Plane Wings Past 500 Days on Latest Mystery Mission
The secretive mission of a U.S. Air Force X-37B miniature space plane just winged past 500 days of flight. Space.com
One More Thing …
Crash of Russian Air Force Tupolev TU-22M3 Supersonic Bomber Caught on Video
On 22 January 2019, a Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic bomber crashed durig landing at its home base in Olenegorsk, Russia. The supersonic bomber was returning from a routine training mission in the early afternoon and attempted to land at Olenegorsk Air Base near Murmansk in Russia. Aviation24