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.)
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…
