The Air Force plan to open more airspace over Utah and Nevada to expand the training area for aircraft predominantly flying out of Hill Air Force Base in Utah has met with continued resistance from environmentalists, civil pilots, and area residents. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that opponents to the plan say the Air Force has failed to make its case for the extra airspace. The service earlier downsized its plan, and officials thought it would be on safer ground. The newspaper reports that a coalition of groups and individuals in opposition, now known as the Rural Alliance for Military Accountability, sent a letter to the Air Force decrying the environmental impact statement on the initiative as “fatally flawed” and “deceptive.” The alliance believes the service has underestimated the noise level from supersonic flights among other issues.
The Department of the Air Force has identified 50 programs that will make up the core of its contribution to the Pentagon’s joint all-domain command and control effort, branding them part of the “DAF Battle Network,” according to newly-released budget documents. The DAF Battle Network programs span multiple offices and agencies…