Air Force Research Lab scientists and engineers at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, have resolved a technical issue with nozzles for the third stage of the Minuteman III ICBM, thereby sparing the service a costly redesign. Working with officials from industry and the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill AFB, Utah, they conducted a year-long study in 2007 to determine why molybdenum (Mo) nozzle throat-supports were cracking in new nozzle units. As a direct result of their work, the Air Force avoided approximately $120 million in cost that would have been necessary to design and validate a new nozzle build and $36 million for delays in nozzle production. For their efforts, the study team received the 2007 Brent Scowcroft Award for ICBM Acquisitions and Sustainment. (Wright-Patterson report by Pete Meltzer Jr.)
The Smithsonian’s announcement that an F-117A Nighthawk, tail number 85-0818, is headed to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, or NASM, is welcome news. The acquisition of this Nighthawk fills a long-standing historical gap—indeed, need—in the collections of what is generally considered the world’s premier air and space…
