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!

Citation :

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

Citation :

F-16 Live Fire



An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot fires one of the first air-to-air missiles launched by a South Korean-based F-16 on Aug. 16. The live fire is part of a process for implementing a weapon system evaluation program for jets assigned to Kunsan Air Base, Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Allen)

Citation :

DATE:25/07/10
SOURCE:Flight Daily News
FARNBOROUGH: Antonov awaits USAF response to KC-X bid
By Stephen Trimble

"Not yet". That is the line from Antonov on whether it has received a response to its shock last-minute bid for the US Air Force's KC-X tanker contest early this month.

"This is the first opportunity for us to bid in such a tender in the USA," says Antonov president general designer Dmitry Kyva. Teamed with US Aerospace, it has submitted a bid based on the proposed An-112KC.

"It is very difficult for us to evaluate our chances," he says, but adds: "Our aircraft meets all the requirements."

Kyva describes the Ukrainian company's surprise venture into the 179-aircraft KC-X battle as "a new experience". It hopes to receive a response allowing it to go forward in the contest, against the Boeing KC-767 NewGen Tanker and EADS North America KC-45, but he comments: "We will not be too upset if we don't.

Citation :

Accident d'avion/Alaska : 4 morts

AP
29/07/2010 | Mise à jour : 15:42 Réagir

Quatre aviateurs ont été tués dans la chute d'un avion cargo qui s'est écrasé sur une base de l'armée de l'air américaine près d'Anchorage en Alaska, ont annoncé les autorités militaires aujourd'hui.

Trois des aviateurs appartenaient à la Garde nationale aérienne de l'Alaska et le quatrième était en service actif à la base aérienne d'Elmendorf, a précisé le colonel de l'armée de l'air John McMullen. L'accident s'est produit mercredi. L'appareil effectuait un vol d'entraînement.

L'accident a provoqué un "gros nuage de fumée et j'ai vu une boule de feu", a déclaré le capitaine des pompiers d'Anchorage, Bryan Grella.

lefigaro

Citation :

Lockheed Martin Delivers First AN/AAQ-39 Targeting System Production Unit to the U.S. Air Force

ORLANDO, FL, July 29th, 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently delivered the first AN/AAQ-39 targeting system full production unit to the U.S. Air Force. Q-39 is the electro-optical/infrared fire control system for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130U Gunship.

“Q-39 gives us a tremendous increase in capability; our situational awareness has doubled, allowing us to present a clearer battlefield picture to the user,” said Lt. Col. Patrick Clowney, Commander, 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Air Force Base. “The Q-39 sensor is a game changer; the enemy has nowhere to hide. It is our best sensor on the AC-130U.”

Q-39 improves on the combat-proven Gunship Multispectral Sensor System (GMS2). Like GMS2, Q-39 includes a large-aperture, midwave infrared sensor, two image-intensified television cameras and a near-infrared laser pointer. Q-39 also features a new solid-state, three-color laser designator and software enhancements that increase system performance and reliability. These components are integrated into a highly stabilized turret to ensure outstanding image quality and highly accurate line-of-sight pointing for gunfire control.

“Q-39 provides image stabilization and advanced extended range processing,” said Joseph Butera, Turreted Systems senior program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “With positive combat identification at longer distances, pilots can confidently engage targets while remaining outside the threat’s lethal reach.”

Awarded in July 2008, the Q-39 contract includes 12 full production units. Deliveries will be completed in 2011.

Q-39 is one of several high-performance stabilized targeting systems designed, manufactured, tested and supported by Lockheed Martin. The company’s fielded solutions for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft include Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor for the U.S. Army, Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod for the U.S. Air Force and the Target Sight System for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lockheed Martin

GMS2 for AC-130U.

Citation :

US Air Force Picks F-35 Fighter Bases
The US Air Force has proposed Arizona, Florida, Utah and Vermont as the preferred alternatives for operational and training bases for F-35 joint strike fighter (JSF) aircraft.
Hill Air Force Base in Utah and the Burlington Air Guard Station in Vermont will perform operational missions, while Luke Air Force Base in Arizona will carry out training on F-35 jets.
Eglin Air Force Base in Florida will be home to 59 F-35 jets.
The US Department of Defense has said that the current scope of this basing action will include 250 to 300 F-35 aircraft.
Deputy assistant secretary for installations Kathleen Ferguson said this was not a final basing decision.
"The preferred alternatives, with other reasonable alternatives, will continue to be evaluated in the environmental impact analysis process," she said.
The USAF will use the next-generation F-35 fighters for air-to-ground role to replace aging F-16 and A-10 aircraft and to support F-22.

airforce-technology

Citation :

Minute Man III Test



Posted 7/29/2010
A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches June 16, 2010, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The missile's single re-entry test vehicle traveled approximately 4,190 miles before hitting its pre-determined target near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joe Davila)

MAATAWI a écrit:

Citation :

Accident d'avion/Alaska : 4 morts

AP
29/07/2010 | Mise à jour : 15:42 Réagir

Quatre aviateurs ont été tués dans la chute d'un avion cargo qui s'est écrasé sur une base de l'armée de l'air américaine près d'Anchorage en Alaska, ont annoncé les autorités militaires aujourd'hui.

Trois des aviateurs appartenaient à la Garde nationale aérienne de l'Alaska et le quatrième était en service actif à la base aérienne d'Elmendorf, a précisé le colonel de l'armée de l'air John McMullen. L'accident s'est produit mercredi. L'appareil effectuait un vol d'entraînement.

L'accident a provoqué un "gros nuage de fumée et j'ai vu une boule de feu", a déclaré le capitaine des pompiers d'Anchorage, Bryan Grella.

lefigaro

Citation :

US Air Force releases images of crashed C-17
The US Air Force has released the first images showing the wreckage of a Boeing C-17 strategic transport which crashed at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska on 28 July. Four personnel from the service’s 3rd Wing died in the accident.
Powered by four Pratt & Whitney F117 turbofan engines, the aircraft came down in a wooded area inside the base perimeter, shortly after taking off on a local training mission. It was destroyed during the impact and a resulting fire.

All images © Senior Airman Cynthia Spalding/US Air Force

The three images released by the air force identify the lost transport as aircraft 00173. This had been delivered to the USAF in 2001, as recorded in Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database.
The air force says a safety investigation board team had been assembled by 2 August, and has started its work to determine the factors behind the first loss of a C-17. “The investigation is ongoing and will continue for an undetermined amount of time,” it adds.

flightglobal

Citation :

L-3 Awarded $39.2 Million to Build F-22 Full Mission Trainers for U.S. Air Force

ARLINGTON, Texas | L-3 Link Simulation & Training announced today that it has been awarded $39.2 million in production contracts from The Boeing Company to build 12 F-22 Full Mission Trainers (FMTs). The Boeing Company has developed and implemented the overall F-22 Training System, which includes L-3’s high-fidelity F-22 FMTs that enable pilots to practice operating this fifth-generation fighter aircraft. F-22 FMTs are used to reinforce air-to-air and air-to-ground warfighting skills, including undertaking simulated missions against advanced integrated radar networks and dense surface-to-air missile environments. The FMTs are integrated into the U.S. Air Force’s Distributed Mission Operations training network, allowing F-22 pilots to train and conduct missions with other aircrews flying different simulated aircraft at locations throughout the world. "Since 2003, F-22 Full Mission Trainers have played a vital role in maintaining the mission readiness of pilots," said Bob Birmingham, president of L-3 Link. "These F-22 pilot training devices – which are the product of extremely successful teaming between L-3 Link, The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin – provide the final building block to train and reinforce pilot warfighting skills." L-3 Link has delivered nine F-22 FMTs, 23 F-22 Weapons Tactics Trainers and five F-22 Egress Procedures Trainers in support of the F-22 Training System since 2003.

defpro

Citation :

Ball Aerospace Delivers STPSat-2 Satellite
Ball Aerospace & Technologies has delivered the STPSat-2 satellite to Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska, in preparation for launch aboard a Minotaur 4 rocket in 2010.
The STPSat-2 satellite has been built for the US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Development and Test Wing (SDTW).
It is the first spacecraft for the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Programme Standard Interface Vehicle (STP-SIV) programme.
The STPSat-2 equipped with STP-SIV architecture, will support the operationally responsive space strategy to ensure US space superiority.
It will provide a standard interface compatible for multiple launch vehicles to support a variety of experimental and risk-reduction payloads at different low-Earth orbits.
Developed with flight-proven hardware, each bus of STPSat-2 can accommodate up to four independent payloads, each one having its own separate power and data interface.

airforce-technology

Citation :

Going Vertical



Posted 8/4/2010
An F-22 Raptor and F-15 Eagle from the U.S. Air Force Weapons School's 433rd Weapons Squadron pull into a vertical climb over the Nevada Test and Training Range July 16, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)

Citation :

BUFF Refuels



Posted 8/7/2010
A B-52 Stratofortress from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., flies in behind a KC-135R Stratotanker as it prepares to refuel July 21, 2010, over Indiana. The KC-135 and its crew are from the Air Force Reserve Command's 74th Air Refueling Squadron out of Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner)

Citation :

USAF Performs First Long-Term F-22 Raptor Maintenance
The US Air Force has performed the first accelerated packaged maintenance plan (PMP) on a deployed F-22 Raptor aircraft.
The PMP, performed by airmen of the 27th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit, is scheduled, long-term, heavy maintenance on a fighter aircraft performed after every 300 flight hours.
It normally takes a month to complete, but deployed unit officials are tasked to accomplish an accelerated PMP in ten days.
During the PMP, a low observable team will select any panels the PMP inspection team may need to get into.
The inspection team will check their list to ensure everything is operational, and re-panel the aircraft and hand it back over to the low observable team for re-layering the jet.
An aircraft is grounded and will not be allowed to fly until it has gone through a proper inspection once it comes within 30 to 40 flight hours to its next scheduled PMP.

airforce-technology

Malaga SPAIN

Boeing C-17A Globemaster III

Citation :

First US Air Force Advanced EHF Satellite Encapsulated
The US Air Force's first advanced extremely high-frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite has been encapsulated in preparation for launch in mid August 2010.
The AEHF satellite will be launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Developed by Lockheed Martin, the AEHF will deliver survivable, protected, secure links to US national leaders, and air, land and sea forces.
It will provide rapid, global coverage for the nation's strategic forces, the air force's space warning assets and operationally deployed military forces.
A single AEHF satellite will provide greater total capacity compared with the entire Milstar constellation and will have five-times improved individual user data rates.
The higher data rates will allow transmission of tactical military communication such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data.
The AEHF constellation will also serve international partners including Canada, the Netherlands and the UK.

airforce-technology

Citation :

The USAF activated 480th as Spangdahlem’s newest F-16 squadron

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) – The 480th Fighter Squadron was activated as the 52nd Fighter Wing’s newest F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron as of 13 Aug. at 1:48 p.m.
The new squadron comes after the Combat Air Forces Restructuring plan transitioned 21 F-16s assigned to the 22nd and 23rd fighter squadrons here to the 148th FW at Duluth Air National Guard Base in Minnesota. As a result, the wing inactivated the two squadrons and activated the 480th FS, which holds significant historical precedence to the base and region, said Col. Jackson Fox, the 52nd Operations Group commander.
“Activating the 480th (FS) here at Spangdahlem Air Base continues our wing’s proud tradition of heritage while moving forward into the future,” Colonel Fox said.
The 480th FS was first activated as the 480th Fighter Bomber Group, flying F-100 Super Sabres in 1957 at England Air Force Base, Louisiana, then re-equipped with F-4C Phantom IIs and moved to Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, in 1966.
In November 1967, a member of the 480th FBG, Capt. Lance Sijan, was shot down and badly injured in North Vietnam. Despite his injuries he evaded enemy forces for more than 40 days and then, when captured, managed to escape briefly. Captain Sijan later died in a prison camp and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. In 1969 the squadron moved to Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam, scoring nine MiG kills, including the first MiG-21 kill of the war.
Regardless of the name changes, the squadron’s mission here remains the same, said Lt. Col. Andrew Wolcott, the 480th FS commander. But more importantly, the squadron is now the only F-16 squadron in the European Command to provide suppression of enemy air defense support.
“That requires us to focus more on (suppression of enemy air defense) than we have in the past because it’s a very demanding skill set to know enemy threat systems and capabilities,” Colonel Wolcott said. “We’re looking forward to getting back to our ‘Wild Weasel’ roots and really mastering that skill set so we can be ready to provide support of enemy air defense whenever called upon.”
Having two squadrons with the same assets and mission allowed members to rely on one another for not only day-to-day requirements within the wing, but also for deployments. For example, each squadron supplemented the other with pilots during back-to-back deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom last year.
“The pilots have typically had a good working relationship between the squadrons, which has helped. With two squadrons, you sort of had a shock-absorber effect,” Colonel Wolcott said. “Both squadrons deployed to OIF, both squadrons had to call on the other squadron in the spin-up process, deploying and the redeployment phase, where we were building back up. Now, with one squadron to absorb all that, it’s much more difficult.”
Once aircraft transitioned to locations in the states as part of the CAF Restructure, the 22nd and 23rd fighter squadrons conducted combined training and operations as a single squadron.
“On the professional level, I think the pilots were mostly concerned with mission accomplishment, so their drive and motivation to be the best fighter pilots they can be, to excel in their mission and upgrade to the next stage in their career outweighed any discord of rapidly combining two squadrons,” Colonel Wolcott said. “They took off the patch one day and put on another patch. The 480th (FS) is good because it gives one single vector and everyone’s on the same level.”
Source and photo: USAF

Citation :

Polar Mission



Posted 8/14/2010
The crew of a ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules from the New York National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing takes off July 28, 2010, from a remote science research site on Greenland's ice sheet. The 109th Airlift Wing is the only military unit in the world to fly such aircraft and has flown missions to Greenland since 1975. The unit now provides airlift support to the National Science Foundation's polar research program there. (Department of Defense photo/Fred W. Baker III)

Citation :

GBU-28 Away



Posted 8/14/2010
An F-15E Strike Eagle drops a GBU-28 during a Combat Hammer mission Aug. 10, 2010, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Combat Hammer is an Air-to-Ground Weapons System Evaluation Program maintained by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The aircraft is from the 391st Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.

appelée aussi Bunker Buster,2tonnes et demi la bete..on se prepare pour l´Iran?