US Air Force - USAF

Rappel du premier message :

l´USAF plane de retirer +300 jets,dont:

-137 F-15
-177 F-16
-9 A-10s

11 ans avant leur date,pour epargner 3,4B$ et accelerer ainsi les F-22/35

mais ca doit dabord passer le congress et le futur president doit signer!

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US Air Force eyes fighter cuts to boost modernization
Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:51pm EDT



WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force is seeking to retire early more than 300 fighter aircraft next year to save $3.4 billion in the hope of funding advanced Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) fighters and other modernization efforts, a published report said on Wednesday, citing internal Pentagon documents.

The plan would retire 137 F-15 and 177 F-16 fighters plus nine A-10 close air support attack aircraft as much as 11 years before the end of their scheduled useful lives, InsideDefense.com, an online news service, reported.

"Without accelerating these retirements, we are left with a larger, less-capable force unable to penetrate anti-access environments," the Air Force was quoted as telling John Young, the Pentagon's top arms buyer, in defense of a fiscal 2010 spending plan it submitted in August.

"Anti-access" is Pentagon jargon for spots defended by advanced surface-to-air missiles and state-of-the-art fighters such as those used or planned by Russia and China.

A key Air Force concern is what it calls a potential fighter gap until Lockheed's radar-evading F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is produced in large numbers.

An Air Force spokesman said it would be inappropriate to discuss an internal working document that will continue to change until it is incorporated into the next president's fiscal 2010 budget submission.

The document was quoted as saying an Air Force analysis showed a "smaller but modernized fighter force, when coupled with a robust bomber fleet, can effectively bridge the gap until the F-35 can be produced in required numbers (ramping to 110) and the F-22 can be modified to a common configuration."

Air Force officials have said they plan to increase F-35 production over the next five years to address the fighter gap, InsideDefense.com said.

Two F-35s have entered flight test, two are in ground test and 17 are in various stages of assembly, including the first two production-model jets scheduled for delivery to the U.S. Air Force in 2010, Lockheed said last month.

The president of the Air Force Association, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Dunn, said it remained to be seen if Congress would let the Air Force get rid of so many aircraft so early and if Pentagon leaders would grab the savings to fund competing priorities within other armed services.

"There will have to be a lot of dialogue inside the Pentagon between the Air Force and the office of the secretary of defense, probably the secretary himself, before a decision is made," Dunn, a former president of the Pentagon's National Defense University, said in a telephone interview.

Old warplanes typically involve high maintenance costs and may require big outlays for structural upgrades. Still, lawmakers often have blocked Air Force attempts to retire aging warplanes early, partly to preserve jobs -- in their voting districts -- at bases from which they are flown.

In the fiscal 2010 budget request being readied at the Pentagon for the next president, the Defense Department is seeking ways to continue production of Lockheed Martin's F-22, the top U.S. dog fighter, while boosting F-35 output to capture economies of scale quickly, Pentagon officials have said.

The final say on whether to go on building the F-22 is being left to the next president, who is to be elected Nov. 4 and take office Jan. 20 -- only weeks before the administration's budget request normally is sent to Congress.

The proposed early retirements represent accelerations of seven years in the case of the F-15, six years for the F-16 and 11 years for the A-10, according to the document cited by InsideDefense.com.

The savings would fuel a push to modernize the Air Force's bombers, late-date fighters and go toward a new "nuclear-specific" B-52 bomber rotational squadron and Northrop Grumman Corp'a (NOC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial system expansion, the document was quoted as saying. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by Carol Bishopric, Gary Hill)

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1531730620081015?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

non Raptor,meme si ca existe,les FRA ne vont pas se plonger sur un terrain nouveau d´un tel monstre,et ils n´ont pas l´habitude de changer les moteurs de leurs vecteurs,sinon on aurait changer l´Atar depuis longtemps pour un M53
prendre un GE va les jetter dans un embarras logistique de plus,alors que les temps sont pour la maitrise et fiabilisation des procedures et circuits d´entretient,pour reduire les couts..sinon c´est comme acheter 2 avions differents

Yakuza a écrit:

non Raptor,meme si ca existe,les FRA ne vont pas se plonger sur un terrain nouveau d´un tel monstre,et ils n´ont pas l´habitude de changer les moteurs de leurs vecteurs,sinon on aurait changer l´Atar depuis longtemps pour un M53
prendre un GE va les jetter dans un embarras logistique de plus,alors que les temps sont pour la maitrise et fiabilisation des procedures et circuits d´entretient,pour reduire les couts..sinon c´est comme acheter 2 avions differents

Tu as peut être raison...

[HS utile] un M53 ne peut être mis dans la cellule d'un MF1 même si on le voulait, le MF1 M53 dispose d'une cellule différente du MF1 d'origine. Je me rappelle plus où est ce que j'avais posté un dessin illustrant cette différence. [/HS utile]

le B 52 reste mon prefere

Aujourd'hui à Lisbonne a été la visite spéciale de Lisbonne, ce n'est pas tous les jours que vous le voyez ici ...

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US Base Gets First F-22 Mission Training Centre

Boeing has connected the first F-22 Mission Training Centre (MTC) at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia to the US Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON).
The MTC will provide the F-22 pilots with virtual training, along with pilots in other aircraft platforms.
The air force's Distributed Mission Operations configuration, via the DMON, will help MTC sites to connect with one another, increase the scale and improve the accuracy of training operations.
During the training, the four-seat F-22 MTC flight trainer will be connected to the DMON, to provide F-22 pilots with more realistic training with other air force assets on the network, such as the F-15C MTC.
The MTC will also use the Agile Software Development process, for the first time, to assess functionality of the trainer's components much faster compared to traditional software development methods.
Boeing will deliver three new F-22 MTCs for Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; and Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, over the next three years.
The F-22 Raptor is a single seat, twin-engine fifth-generation fighter aircraft, which uses stealth technology, and is capable of ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles.

airforce-technology

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US Air Force Awards JASSM Lot 8 Production Contract

The US Air Force has awarded a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) Lot 8 production contract, valued at $243m, to Lockheed.
The Lot 8 contract includes the supply of 158 JASSM missiles to the air force that will bring the total contracted quantities of the cruise missile to over 1,200.
The contract also includes fuze reliability, parts obsolescence efforts, test instrumentation kits, system reliability and flight test support.
The JASSM is a 2,000lb-class weapon with a stealthy airframe and is equipped with a penetrator/blast fragmentation warhead.
The JASSM is equipped with a state-of-the-art infrared seeker and an anti-jam GPS system that guides itself autonomously in all weather conditions and finds a specific aimpoint on the target.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control JASSM programme director Alan Jackson said JASSM’s combination of standoff range, low observable flight and high lethality provides an unrivalled precision engagement capability and a greater range of options to combatant commanders.
In a recent flight tests on B-52 and F-16 aircraft, the JASSM cruise missile has successfully hit targets including hardened, underground bunkers and air defence systems.
Presently, the JASSM has been successfully demonstrated on the B-1, B-2, B-52 and F-16 aircraft, with F-15E, F/A-18 and F-35 being selected as platforms for future demo.

airforce-technology

Des nouveaux Freins carbones (DURACARB) et des Roues sans boulons de Goodrich Corporation pour la flotte de C-130 de L' USAF
Des Freins qui durent huit fois plus et pèsent 20% de moins

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US C-130 Transport Fleet Receives Upgrade

The US Air Force's (USAF) fleet of C-130 transport aircraft is undergoing an upgrade, with new boltless wheels and carbon brakes from Goodrich Corporation.
In August 2009, Defense Logistics Agency – Ogden signed a contract with Goodrich that will offer significant performance, cost and maintainability advantages to the USAF's C-130s.
As part of the contract, Goodrich has designed the C-130 carbon brakes to last eight times longer and weigh 20% less than the current steel brakes.
For a tyre change, the C-130 will take 80% less time than the current bolted wheel, by using Goodrich's C-130 boltless wheels.
Goodrich's DURACARB carbon braking systems will provide lighter weight, longer life, higher performance and lower cost of ownership compared with steel braking systems.
Goodrich used a lock-ring design in its boltless aircraft wheels to lower maintenance time, cost and parts count.
Under the current contract, Goodrich will perform qualification activities, support flight testing, and provide retrofit equipment for the air force's C-130 fleet.
Qualification activities will complete in the beginning of 2011, which will then be followed by initial hardware deliveries to the air force.

airforce-technology

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US Awards F-15 Weapons Training Equipment Delivery Order
The US Air Force has awarded a delivery order to Raytheon to modify weapons data link equipment used in pilot training for F-15 fighter aircraft.
The $37.9m contract is part of the second delivery order awarded to Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC) under a 2007 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract.
The contract order is for the air force training frequency relocation (TFR) programme.
An air force initiative, the TFR has been designed to modify GBU-15/AGM-130 weapons data link equipment.
The modification will be done to comply with federal reallocation of radio frequencies from governmental to commercial use.
Valued at $31.8m, the first delivery order, covering the non-recurring engineering work on the programme, was issued at the same time as the 2007 IDIQ contract award.

airforce-technology

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A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), La., leads a formation of two F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska; two Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-2 fighter aircraft from the 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Tsuiki Air Base, Japan; two U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowler aircraft from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136, Carrier Air Wing 5, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan; and a JASDF E-2C Hawkeye aircraft from the 601st Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan, over Guam during exercise Cope North Feb. 15, 2010

...

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A C-17 Globemaster III waits to take off at Fort Greely, Alaska, during Exercise Pacific Rendezvous. The aircraft was participating in an exercise that involved C-17s from Pacific Air Forces and Air Mobility Command exploring capabilities in large formations.

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C-17 Globemaster IIIs sit on the ramp at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, waiting to take off.

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A C-17 Globemaster III from the 517th Airlift Squadron soars over the mountains near Fort Greely, Alaska

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Waiting to take off, a group of C-17 Globemaster IIIs sit on the ramp

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C-17 Globemaster IIIs from the Pacific Air Forces and Air Mobility Command soar over Alaskan mountain ranges near Fort Greely, Alaska

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A C-17 Globemaster IIIs from the 517th Airlift Squadron drops its cargo over the drop zone near Katchemak Bay, Alaska

Effacé, c'est HS émir khalid, les Prawler appartient à la Navy

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U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command officials dedicated to bomber mission

Command's top officer emphasized his command's dedication to the bomber mission during the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 19 here.
"Let me state right up front," said Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, the AFGSC commander. "Global Strike Command (Airmen are) absolutely committed to providing robust and relentless advocacy for current and future bomber capabilities; in the conventional, as well as in the nuclear realm."
Bombers have always been at the "heart and soul" of the Air Force since its very beginnings, General Klotz said.
"The ability to hold at risk or strike any target anywhere in the world" is one of the 12 Air Force core functions," he said.
He acknowledged that the B-52 Stratofortress and the B-2 Spirit bombers, which came under his responsibility Feb. 1, were "aging aircraft."
"As such, our bomber force faces significant challenges in terms of sustainment of current capabilities and the modernization of the existing platforms to exploit their full potential in the joint fight," the general said.
He emphasized that nuclear-capable bombers remain a vitally important component of the "triad" of nuclear forces -- intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles being the other two legs of the triad -- that serve to deter attacks against the United States, as well as its allies and partners. And he underscored the bombers' powerful non-nuclear, or "conventional," capabilities.
General Klotz addressed the issue of how nuclear and conventional operations will coexist in Air Force Global Strike Command.
"I'm often asked how we will be able to balance emphasis on both the nuclear and conventional missions of the bombers and airmen assigned to Global Strike Command," the general said. "The simple fact is that this is not a new challenge."
Bombers played a significant conventional role in conflicts from World War II through current actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, General Klotz said.
The bomber's "role was not limited strictly to the nuclear mission, even during the most intense periods of the Cold War," the general said.
The general also updated the audience on the "methodical, step-by-step" stand-up of the Air Force's new major command, noting the assumption of the ICBM mission Dec. 1, the command's assumption of long-range, nuclear-capable B-2 and B-52 bombers Feb. 1, and the plan to attain 'full operational capability' by the end of the summer.
Officials reactivated the 69th Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., in September. The 69th BS became the second operational B-52 squadron at Minot AFB, "thus mirroring Barksdale (AFB)," which has two operational B-52 squadrons, the general said.
"This move will help balance the workload between nuclear deterrence and conventional missions, not only at Minot (AFB), but across the entire B-52 force," he said.
The new people and jets have already begun to arrive in a phased deployment that will be complete by this spring, he said. The action will ultimately bring 10 additional B-52s and more than 800 people to Minot AFB

defpro.com

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Kirtland AFB to lose F-16s

February 23, 2010 (by Asif Shamim) - Kirtland Air Force Base will lose 18 ANG F-16Cs from the 188th Fighter Squadron & hundreds of jobs as part of the federal government's plan to cut its fighter fleet.

By the end of this autumn the USAF will have reduced its fighter fleet by 250 jets. The first jets begin to leave as of April 1st and the government hopes the last will be retired by the end of September.

The hope is that some of the money saved will allow the USAF to purchase new aircraft such as the F-35.

Retired Col. Charlie Thomas a military analyst and former Kirtland base commander was quoted to have said the impact of the F-16s will also affect people working at the base and local area.

"There's about a thousand or so positions that are really going to go away," said Thomas. "It's tough on the morale, especially for the people involved, so there's a lot of decisions that have to be made over time now."

Thomas said change is to be expected when you work in the Air Force.

"It is unfortunate that we lose a flying mission that everybody has loved, but that's just what's happening," said Thomas. "We're bringing down the size of the Air Force and the number of planes that we have."

http://www.f-16.net/gallery_item267786.html

USAF F-16C block 30 #87-0304 from the 188th FS is spotted taxiing by the lens at Kirtland AFB in September of 2007.

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USAF abandons large helicopter for rescue mission, proposes buying 112 UH-60Ms

The US Air Force has decided to buy 112 Sikorsky UH-60Ms to recapitalise its ageing combat search and rescue fleet, despite a standing requirement for a larger helicopter. Sikorsky will modify the M-model aircraft to the HH-60L configuration, replacing a fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawks that has dwindled to about 101 airframes, says Lt Gen Mark Shackelford, head of USAF acquisition.



The HH-60 represents the current standard for the USAF's SAR mission, in which its crews are tasked to fly deep into enemy territory to retrieve downed airmen. "The new H-60s will be modified to be rescue helicopters, obviously with some tempering of performance," Shackelford says. In 2006, the USAF signed the CSAR-X contract to buy 141 Boeing HH-47s, selecting the Chinook over the Sikorsky HH-92 and Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland HH-71. But the contract award process became a landmark example of acquisition policy...

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/24/338770/usaf-abandons-large-helicopter-for-rescue-mission-proposes-buying-112.html

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Boeing Statement on Release of US Air Force KC-X Tanker Final Request for Proposal

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ – The Boeing Company today received the final Request for Proposal (RFP) document for the U.S. Air Force KC-X Tanker competition, and released the following statement from Jean Chamberlin, vice president and general manager, Boeing USAF Tanker Program:
“Boeing has begun the process of closely studying the details of the KC-X Tanker final RFP. Today’s release of the final RFP is an important milestone for our Air Force customer. Not only does it mean that the KC-X competition can proceed, it also is a strong signal that America is moving forward on replacing its air refueling capability — a critical enabler for projecting power and protecting this nation.
“We’ve said consistently that it is up to the Air Force to determine the KC-X requirements for a new generation of tankers. It’s our responsibility to respond to those requirements. While we appreciated the open dialogue with the Air Force throughout this process, we are disappointed that the RFP does not address some of our key concerns, including Airbus’ unfair competitive advantage derived from subsidies from its sponsor European governments — subsidies that the World Trade Organization has found to be illegal and harmful to U.S. workers and industry — and how fuel and military-construction costs over the life of the tankers will be factored into consideration of the competing bids. We will review the RFP in its entirety and in detail before offering further assessment.”

aviationnews

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The U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $223.6 million contract for two E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) Propulsion Pod System (PPS) shipsets and FAA certification.

Northrop wins $223.6 million contract for two E-8C joint STAR system

Each shipset contains four Pratt and Whitney JT8D-219 engines, pylon assemblies and associated aircraft system interconnections. Deliveries are expected to start in 2011 pending the final military certifications of the engines on "T-3," the Joint STARS test bed aircraft.

"This critical award moves us a step closer to re-engining the Joint STARS fleet," said Tom Vice, sector vice president of the company's Battle Management and Engagement Systems Division. "We've initially demonstrated the JT8D's approximately 21,000 pounds of maximum thrust on T-3 and the performance improvement seen in flight testing is immediately noticeable".

The increased power and fuel economy from the new engines -- which are widely used in commercial airline fleets -- enables the E-8 to fly higher and maintain longer time on station, providing a better view of the battlespace. "With JT8D engines, Joint STARS will be able to take off from shorter runways, increasing basing options and reducing the transit time to get on station," said Vice. "Shorter transit time, along with the improved fuel efficiency and increased reliability of these new engines all translate to more Joint STARS time on station -- a critical benefit to U.S. and coalition forces.

"The JT8D's reliability, as demonstrated in commercial service, also addresses the fleet's number one maintenance issue -- engines," said Vice. "A business case analysis has shown that this engine upgrade may potentially pay for itself in less than 10 years in the operations, maintenance and fuel savings realized from not having to deal with the old engines".

The Administration's fiscal 2011 budget, currently under consideration by Congressional committees, includes procurement funding for additional shipsets of engines.

The Joint STARS program is managed by the 751st Electronic Support Group at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. The Joint STARS aircraft are assigned to the Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Air Control Wing, a "total-force blended wing," based at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. The Wing comprises active-duty Air Force, Army and Air National Guard personnel.

defenseworld

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Lockheed Martin Delivers 11th C-130J Super Hercules To Ramstein Air Base






C-130J at le Bourget Air Show 2005 (archive Aviationnews.eu)

“The delivery of this aircraft marks one more step toward fully replacing the older models of the C-130 the 86th Airlift Wing has been flying. The increased cargo capacity and the longer legs of the J-model will be extremely valuable for the Ramstein wing as it continues to support the important intratheater missions for U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command,” Gorenc said. “The Hercules has long been the workhorse of our airlift capability, and these newer versions will allow us to continue that vital role for years to come.”
Four C-130Js will be delivered to Ramstein this year; 10 C-130Js were delivered to the base in 2009. These 14 new Js will support the Ramstein-based 37th Airlift Squadron (a unit of the 86th Airlift Wing) that has been flying C-130Es. The new aircraft are the longer C-130J-30 configuration, which is now the standard for recapitalizing the USAF and many other air forces around the world. C-130Js are engaged in high-tempo operations in multiple combat theaters and are routinely deployed in support of both peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. The C-130J is a flexible, multimission aircraft that has been delivered in multiple and varied configurations to meet a wide range of operational needs. The C-130J fleet has accumulated more than 500,000 flight hours.

aviationnews

Ravitailleurs: Boeing dans la course

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Le constructeur aéronautique américain Boeing a proposé aujourd'hui une version modifiée de son appareil 767, en réponse au nouvel appel d'offres de 35 milliards de dollars du ministère de la Défense américain qui doit renouveler sa flotte de ravitailleurs.

AFP

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