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 :

USAF Fires 2 Over Tanker Mix-Up


Two people have been removed from their jobs because of their roles in the accidental disclosure of bid information to competitors vying to build the Air Force's next refueling tanker, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told reporters Nov. 23.
Schwartz disputed reports that the information sent to Boeing Co. and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company contained proprietary information or proposed pricing data. He said he could not identify the two employees who have been removed from their positions in the program office but said the program manager has not been fired.
The deadline for selecting a tanker contractor has slipped to January, but not as a result of the mistake, Schwartz said.
He said the acquisition process for a replacement for its aging tanker fleet remains fair, and that internal and independent reviews have been launched to look into the matter.
"Clearly, this was a disappointment - a profound disappointment - particularly given the rigor and the diligence the program and the folks on the source-selection team have demonstrated to date," Schwartz said.
Schwartz confirmed the information sent to the contractors was the Integrated Fleet Aerial Refueling Assessment for each company. Boeing received EADS' assessment, and EADS received Boeing's. The IFARA models tanker operations in various scenarios to figure out how many tankers will be needed. The Air Force uses the assessment, along with fuel and construction cost estimates, to assay how risky the rivals' bids will be. In the last incarnation of the tanker contest, the IFARA was the single biggest risk factor.
The mistake was the latest twist in a decadelong race to select a contractor for the Air Force's 179-plane contract designed to replace the KC-135 fleet. Earlier bids for the $35 billion program have pitted the two companies against each other but have been sidelined by contractor disputes, Air Force errors and criminal cases.
EADS North America Chief Executive Sean O'Keefe has told reporters his company will not rule out a protest stemming from the mistake.
Schwartz said both companies now have the same information.
"Bottom line is: There's no difference between Boeing or EADS with respect to what was inadvertently disclosed," he said.

defensenews

Citation :

US Air Force Begins Major AWACS Upgrade
The US Air Force has begun a major upgrade on its E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
The first AWACS aircraft to receive the block 40/45 modification has been inducted by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center.
The upgraded AWACS will receive new mission software to enhance tracking and combat identification capabilities to provide operators with a better picture of the battlespace.
AWACS 40/45 production chief Major Brett Johnson said the modification would replace a mission computer system originally installed in the 1970s.
"The new system will have an open, network-based architecture, enabling future net-centric modifications," he said.
The upgrade will allow more sensor integration both on and off the aircraft, improve the aircraft's data link infrastructure, improve machine-to-machine interaction and compress the timeline from threat engagement to neutralisation.
During the low-rate initial production, six aircraft will be upgraded by 2014, while modifications to the first aircraft will complete by September 2011.
All the aircraft in the AWACS fleet will receive full operational capability by 2020.

airforce-technology

Citation :

C-130 Countermeasures



Posted 11/25/2010
A formation of C-130 Hercules aircraft fire off chaff and flare countermeasures over the Nevada Test and Training Range Nov. 17, 2010 during a Mobility Air Forces Exercise. More than 40 C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-130s assembled in aerial formations over the range to conduct air and ground operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)

Citation :

F-35 Delivery Delay Concerns US Air Force

The US Air Force is concerned that software development and production issues will delay its plan to begin using new F-35 fighter jets in April 2016.
The possible F-35 delivery delay has been revealed by the defence official in charge of the F-35 programme, vice admiral David Venlet, after a comprehensive review of the programme.
US Air Force general Norton Schwartz said the air force will consider upgrading its existing F-16 fighters through structural modifications and radar and avionics improvements if the F-35 delivery is delayed.
The general said the air force variant of the F-35 fighter jet has, however, performed better in testing and development than the Navy and Marine Corps' versions

airforce-technology

Citation :

Comment: Deja vu in DC


In a politically charged competition for a multi-billion dollar contract, personalities, egos, suspected malfeasance and breath-taking blunders conspire to deny a critical combat capability to the US Air Force.

Sound familiar?

Some may recognise the hallmarks of the decade-long pursuit of the KC-X tanker, a process tarnished again when USAF competitive assessments were sent inadvertently to the wrong bidders.

But the unfortunate scenario also describes an early 1960s weapon systems contract called TFX, which eventually led to the selection of the General Dynamics F-111, a worthy aircraft born of controversy.

As the Royal Australian Air Force prepares to formally retire the F-111, it is worth pausing to consider the lessons from two of the USAF's perhaps most avoidably controversial weapons decisions.

In both projects, controversy began with a decision that seemed virtuous to a top decision-maker but inflammatory - if not scandalous - to a powerful senator.

On 21 November 1962, defence secretary Robert McNamara overruled his most senior generals and admirals, who favoured Boeing's TFX bid. McNamara, however, believed Boeing's cost estimates relied on too many optimistic assumptions about an unproven engine and titanium structure.

The fact that McNamara reached his conclusion without any paper studies and largely on the basis of a single meeting over breakfast with a few close aides did not impress Boeing's allies in Congress, including the powerful Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson of Washington, who became a sworn enemy of the TFX project, conspiring with Senator John McClellan to call a series of investigations and hearings over McNamara's surprise decision. In the process, two of McNamara's close aides were accused of having a financial stake in the outcome, having previously worked in the private sector at law firms and banks linked to General Dynamics.

Forty years on, we've seen a feud between air force secretary Jim Roche, who backed a controversial lease deal with Boeing, and Senator John McCain, who doggedly fought the proposal as an abuse of tax dollars.

It was clear that the feud had become personal, but just how personal became evident earlier this month when ousted air force boss Roche told the Washingtonian magazine that, blaming McCain for betraying their friendship in the late 1980s, he'd vowed never to let the powerful Arizona senator beat him.

Flight International

Citation :

Cold Flightline



Posted 11/29/2010
The first snowfall of the season at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 22, 2010, covered the aircraft and the flightline in a sea of white. Despite the snowfall, McChord Airmen worked to generate five sorties. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson)

Citation :

FALCONSAT-5 Launch



Posted 11/28/2010
A rocket carrying the Air Force Academy's FalconSAT-5 satellite lifts off Nov. 19, 2010, from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska. FalconSAT is a capstone program that allows Academy cadets to design, build, test and operate a satellite. FalconSAT-5 carried Space Test Program payloads to measure measure the ionosphere and its effects on radio frequency signals. (U.S. Air Force photo/Col. Marty France)
Delta IV Heavy



Posted 11/29/2010
The 45th Space Wing launched a Delta IV Heavy Nov. 21, carrying a National Reconnaissance Office satellite. (U.S Air Force photo)

Citation :

US Air Force Receives Northrop Grumman Global Hawk Sensor

The US Air Force has received the first production Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor from Northrop Grumman for integration on the first Block 40 Global Hawk.
The MP-RTIP technology will provide critical coverage for the warfighter and can detect multiple stopped, slow and fast-moving objects on the ground.
The capability, combined with the endurance of the Block 40 Global Hawk, provides the warfighter with more than 30 hours of situational awareness and combat identification per mission.
The Global Hawk's range, endurance and large payload capabilities are well suited to provide persistent surveillance with MP-RTIP.
The first MP-RTIP Global Hawk flight is scheduled to occur by early 2011.

airforce-technology

Citation :

Safety chains used at Aviano AB to stop F-16

An F-16C block 40 (#88-0446) experienced problems after landing from a training flight Wednesday afternoon at Aviano Air Base, Italy. This prompted the base to use safety chains to bring it to a stop about 30 yards from the base perimeter.

USAF F-16C block 40 #88-0446 from the 555th FS has plowed into the ground at Aviano AB on December 2nd, 2010
The pilot safely left the aircraft, no one was injured on the ground and no fuel was spilled during the incident, according to a news release from the 31st Fighter Wing.
The jet, slowed by the chains, came to rest partially off the runway on the adjoining grass shortly after 15.00h local time. It was quickly surrounded by dozens of U.S. and Italian rescue and law enforcement personnel.
The jet sustained an undetermined amount of damage and was taken from the runway with the aid of heavy equipment. Flights were halted Wednesday after the incident but resumed Thursday.

The incident is under investigation

f-16

Citation :

Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Successfully Completes 1st Flight


VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. | Boeing [NYSE: BA] yesterday announced the successful de-orbit and landing of the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), also known as the X-37B, for the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO). The X-37B landed at 1:16 a.m. Pacific time today, concluding its more than 220-day experimental test mission. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on April 22.

The X-37B is the United States' first unmanned vehicle to return from space and land on its own. Previously, the space shuttle was the only space vehicle capable of returning to Earth. The success of this inaugural mission demonstrates that unmanned space vehicles can be sent into orbit and safely recovered.

"We congratulate the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base on the success of this mission," said Paul Rusnock, Boeing vice president of Experimental Systems and program director for the X-37B. "This marks a new era in space exploration, and we look forward to the launch of the second vehicle in 2011. By combining the best of aircraft and spacecraft into an affordable, responsive unmanned vehicle, Boeing has delivered an unprecedented capability to the RCO."

The X-37B program is demonstrating a reliable, reusable unmanned space test platform for the Air Force. Its objectives include space experimentation, risk reduction, and concept-of-operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies that could become key enablers for future space missions.

Boeing's commitment to this space-based unmanned vehicle spans a decade and includes support to the Air Force Research Lab's X-40 program, NASA's X-37 program, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's X-37 Approach & Landing Test Vehicle (ALTV) program.

Boeing program management, engineering, manufacturing, test and mission support functions for the OTV program are conducted at Boeing sites in Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, and El Segundo, Calif.

defpro

.....

Citation :

X-37B Returns



Posted 12/4/2010
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle sits on the runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Dec. 3, 2010, during post-landing operations. Personnel in self-contained atmospheric protective ensemble suits are conducting initial checks on the vehicle and ensuring the area is safe. The X-37B launched April 22 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., allowing teams to conduct on-orbit experiments for more than 220 days during this first mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Michael Stonecypher)

Citation :

Raytheon Awarded AESA Radar Upgrade Contract for F-15C Aircraft


EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has received a contract from Boeing for the production of advanced APG-63(V)3 Active Electronically Scanned Array radars.
The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Air National Guard will receive radars from the contract and deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2011. The radars are intended to enhance the performance of deployed F-15C aircraft and will replace the current mechanically scanned radar systems. With its superior targeting and tracking capabilities, the APG-63(V)3 will enable aircrews to detect and identify targets well beyond the range of the existing systems.
"Our APG-63(V)3 AESA radars offer significant reliability and maintainability benefits, resulting in lower life-cycle costs," said Steve Schwarzkopf, F-15 program director, Tactical Airborne Systems. "These systems are designed to give pilots the ultimate operational advantage and bring them home safely."
Raytheon Company, with 2009 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 88 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 75,000 people worldwide.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-awarded-aesa-radar-upgrade-contract-for-f-15c-aircraft-111441824.html

Citation :

Northrop Grumman Awarded A-10

Thunderbolt II Total Life-Cycle Program Support Task Orders

HERNDON, Va., Dec. 7, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) three task orders under the A-10 Thunderbolt Life-cycle Program Support (TLPS) indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract.
The total value of the task orders is nearly $2 million.
“Winning these task orders provides Northrop Grumman continued opportunity to support our nation’s most valuable asset, the warfighter,” said Chris Jones, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Technical Services’ Integrated Logistics and Modernization division. “Our focus is to always provide our customer with innovative solutions to ensure superior program performance, and we look forward to working with the U.S. Air Force to do so with the A-10 airframe.”
Under the terms of the two-year Aircraft Structural Integrity Program Modernization II task order, Northrop Grumman and its teammate Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, will develop and document non-destructive inspection (NDI) procedures for current control points, produce source data related to NDI suitable for publication, and report discrepancies found between current technical data and the SSI program requirements. These tasks are focused on structural integrity process modernization and cross-cutting efforts with other weapon systems within the U.S. Air Force.
The Critical Safety Item Technical Deficiency Improvement task order has one base year with three option years. Under the terms of this task, Northrop Grumman and its teammates Wyle Laboratories, El Segundo, Calif., and Rowan Catalyst Inc., Libertyville, Ill., will identify the engineering and technical data tasks required to correct CSI technical and acquisition data deficiencies. This effort will help align the A-10 program with the latest requirements from the joint aeronautical logistics commanders.
Northrop Grumman is also teamed with Wyle Laboratories and Rowan Catalyst Inc., for the Critical Systems Component Analysis task, which has one base year with two option years. The scope of this effort is to ensure that the A-10 operational safety, suitability and effectiveness program is achieved and maintained by performing component analysis of critical systems and to provide solutions for increasing system reliability, safety, aircraft availability and reducing maintenance requirements and man-hours.
Source: Northrop Grumman
Photo: USAF

Citation :

Aerojet Delivers Final F-22 Forward Boom to USAF
GenCorp's subsidiary Aerojet has supplied the last F-22 Raptor forward boom to Boeing for delivery to the US Air Force.
The forward boom is a structural component, which provides wing, engine and horizontal tail attach points to carry much of the F-22 aft fuselage load.
Aerojet uses the EB weld process to join titanium components together into a single monolithic structure to meet the precise tolerances.
The EB welding process allows the airframe design to merge complex features into a single component, reducing the need for fasteners whilst also reducing weight, simplifying assembly and reducing costs.
The delivery completed the 10th lot of a procurement, which spanned 17 years in support of the Boeing/Lockheed Martin/US Air Force team.

airforce-technology

Citation :

Northrop Grumman to Enhance Situational Awareness of US C-130H Aircraft Crews
Northrop Grumman has received a contract to provide Real Time Information in the Cockpit (RTIC) capability for US Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command C-130H tactical transport aircraft.
The enhancements will allow aircrews to communicate with ground crews during airlift, airdrop, and search and rescue operations.
Northrop Grumman is integrating the software and hardware that will enable real-time tactical information to be displayed in the C-130H cockpit and navigator station.
The displays will provide information obtained from Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol (JREAP) and Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL) communications, allowing the C-130 crew to not only see the theatre tactical picture, but also electronically identify its position to others within the theatre.
Under the $12.7m contract, Northrop Grumman is also installing the ARC-210 airborne military radio, which provides two-way voice and data communications and is software-operated.
Following a 12-month integration phase, Northrop Grumman will install the new RTIC capability in 32 Air National Guard C-130H aircraft.

airforce-technology

Citation :

40 Bundle Drop



Posted 12/9/2010
Forty bundles of fuel fly out the back of a U.S. Air Force Globemaster III aircraft assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, during an air drop mission over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Dec. 8. Photo by Staff Sgt. Andy Kin

Citation :

Identifying friendly forces to become easier for U.S. Air Force AWACS

HANSCOM AFB, Mass. | Engineers with the Electronic Systems Center here have achieved the next step in bringing an improved Identification Friend or Foe, or IFF, system capability to E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft.

Currently, AWACS provides situational awareness of friendly, neutral and hostile activity, along with early warning of enemy actions during joint, allied and coalition operations.

"The next-generation IFF Mode 5 will allow for earlier detection of friendly targets and works to minimize fratricide," said Tricia Hill, a Next Generation IFF program manager. "Interrogators provide identification of cooperative platforms, and Mode 5 improves upon that for the E-3 fleet."

Mode 5 allows for dramatically improved detection of "maneuvering" targets at a maximum range, while improving detection of all targets at all ranges. It also increases the confidence in identification and data replies, Ms. Hill said.

Engineers recently held a combined development and operation test at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Numerous test flights were completed with AWACS Block 30/35 aircraft that included jamming, interrogation and interoperability works with F-15 Eagles.

"The capabilities leveraged from the Next Generation Identification Friend Foe system will dramatically increase our abilities to tell the good guys from the bad, and greatly reduce the chances of accidental fratricide, which will save lives in the future," said Maj. David Drass, the 552nd Air Control Wing mission systems requirements chief.

According to Ms. Hill, feedback thus far has proved promising.

"The preliminary results have all been positive," Ms. Hill said. "Everyone in the test community was satisfied. Although we don't yet have full data analysis completed we are working on moving to Milestone C, a production decision, this spring.

U.S government and NATO engineers also were involved in the testing events to see firsthand the capabilities provided and how Mode 5 will transition to their AWACS platforms.

Another opportunity for evaluating the capability will come later this spring when the Navy performs a technical evaluation for all Mode 5 platforms that are ready to test.

"We'll be a key player in this evaluation, with AWACS providing an airborne interrogator," Ms. Hill said. "It will give us a chance to demonstrate interoperability between services."

"We've been successful because of the teamwork we have," Ms. Hill said. "Without support from the 552 ACW at Tinker (AFB, Okla.); the JTF/605 Test and Evaluation Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla.; the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center; the FAA, (the Naval Air Weapons Station-China Lake, Calif.); the F-15s out of Nellis AFB, (Nev.); and our NGIFF IPT team here, we couldn't have gotten to this point."

defpro

Citation :

U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin Complete Major Testing Milestone for First-Of-Its Kind Missile Warning Satellite

First SBIRS Geosynchronous Satellite Progresses Toward Launch


SUNNYVALE, Calif., December 13th, 2010 — The U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]-led Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) team has successfully completed the Final Integrated System Test (FIST) of the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite, a major program milestone that verifies the spacecraft’s performance and functionality in preparation for delivery to the launch site.
Having conducted all system environmental testing and now with the completion of FIST, SBIRS GEO-1 is on track to meet its scheduled spring 2011 launch aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
The SBIRS Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) payloads have already been launched and are meeting or exceeding all performance requirements. The launch of GEO-1 will significantly enhance the nation’s early missile warning capabilities and simultaneously support other critical national security missions including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.
“The joint government/industry team has made tremendous progress and demonstrated exceptional commitment in preparing the first SBIRS GEO spacecraft for launch,” said Col. Roger Teague, the U.S. Air Force’s SBIRS Wing Commander. “Successful completion of FIST gives us high confidence in achieving SBIRS mission success to provide unprecedented, global, persistent, infrared surveillance capabilities to our nation.”
On the path to spacecraft delivery, the SBIRS team will complete final space to ground interface system testing, perform final spacecraft component installations, and conduct a final factory confidence test. Qualification of the satellite’s flight software, designed to provide highly reliable command and control operations, is also progressing steadily. The team recently completed all 138 Engineering Dry Runs (EDR), a key milestone in the flight software qualification regimen, and is on track to complete the spacecraft’s comprehensive flight software qualification testing program early next year.
“With a focus on sound program execution, the entire government/industry team completed a disciplined and thorough test that represents a major program milestone on the path to mission success,” said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin’s SBIRS Vice President. “We look forward to and are keenly focused on preparing this first-of-its-kind spacecraft for launch to deliver critical new capabilities to our nation’s warfighters for decades to come.”
The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, with Northrop Grumman, as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.
Lockheed Martin’s original SBIRS contract includes HEO payloads, two geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites, as well as ground-based assets to receive and process the infrared data. The team is also under a follow-on production contract to deliver additional HEO payloads, third and fourth GEO satellites, and associated ground modifications.
Source and photo: Lockheed Martin

Citation :

Boeing to Provide Engineering Sustainment Support to USAF

The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a contract for engineering sustainment support on the KC-135 fleet support programme.
Under the five-year, $20m annual contract, the company will provide structural systems and aerospace analysis, prototyping modifications and upgrades as well as liaison engineering support for Tinker Air Force Base programme depot maintenance and back shops.
The company will also provide in-flight emergency support, and accident and incident investigations.
The KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refuelling aircraft. Modified KC-135s can also serve as flying command posts, pure transport, electronic reconnaissance and photo mapping craft.
The contract will be effective from 1 January 2011.

airforce-technology

Citation :

USAF Tests First Space-Based Missile Warning Satellite

The US Air Force (USAF) has completed the final integrated system test (FIST) of the first space-based infrared system (SBIRS) geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite.
The launch of GEO-1 will enhance the US's early missile warning capabilities and support other critical security missions, including missile defence, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.
The completion of the test marks the verification of the spacecraft's performance and functionality in preparation for delivery to the launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, US, for its scheduled 2011 launch aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle.
The USAF SBIRS team, comprising Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, will complete final space-to-ground interface system testing, perform final spacecraft component installations and conduct a final factory confidence test.
The team is set to complete the spacecraft's comprehensive flight software qualification testing programme early next year.

airforce-technology

Citation :

USAF to Use New ISR System for Warfighters

The US Air Force (USAF) is to use a new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system developed by Raytheon as the USAF has completed evaluation of the upgraded distributed common ground system (DCGS) at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
DCGS is a family of ground station intelligence information sharing platforms that supports a range of ISR systems including military satellite systems, and manned and unmanned aircraft.
The web-enabled DCGS version will enable the USAF to access shared ISR data and applications in a network-centric environment, increasing mission capability as well as capacity.
The network-centric upgrade to DCGS at Ramstein Air Base will enable seamless, real-time, multi-agency intelligence sharing and collaboration.
Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems deputy director of tactical intelligence systems Mark Kipphut said the USAF ran regular missions using the upgraded DCGS baseline over several weeks and concluded it was ready to use for intelligence tasking, processing, exploitation and dissemination.
"We expect the system at Hickam Air Force Base to become operational early next year, which will provide warfighters actionable intelligence, regardless of its source, in near real time," he added.

airforce-technology

Citation :

Boeing Receives US Air Force Contract for C-17 Training Devices





ST. LOUIS, Dec. 22, 2010 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced it has received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to deliver C-17 training devices to three sites. The contract value is $44 million initially and up to $72 million if two options are exercised.
The first set of devices is an Integrated Training Center (ITC) to be delivered to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in the first quarter of 2012. The ITC will consist of a weapon systems trainer, pilot and co-pilot station, loadmaster station and related courseware and support equipment. A second weapon systems trainer will be installed at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., in the third quarter of 2012 and a third ITC will go to a new C-17 training site in early 2013.
“Wright-Patterson is set to receive its first of eight C-17s next year and McChord has 54,” said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president for Training Systems & Services. “We are proud to add to the Air Force’s training capability and support warfighter readiness with these new devices.”
The ITCs support pilot and co-pilot instruction in flight operations, mission planning and emergency procedures through computer-based training, advanced aircraft simulation and other desktop training devices. C-17 loadmasters also receive computer-based and aircraft training in addition to training on the loadmaster station, cargo loading models and cargo compartment trainer. Additionally, maintenance personnel can use the ITCs for training on engine run procedures.
Source: Boeing

Citation :

Santa is Rappelling



Posted 12/23/2010
Santa Claus, with an assist from one of his "elves," rappels from an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter to greet children of the 31st and 33rd Rescue Squadrons at Kadena, Japan, Dec. 17, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lakisha Croley

Citation :

HAI delivers last upgraded F-16 Block 40 as part of CCIP/STAR program



HAI upgraded the electronic and structural modification (STAR/CCIP) as part of a program started in 2007 for 94 F-16 block 40 and block 50 aircraft for the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE). The ceremony marked the completion of the work on the block 40s and by December of 2013 work on the block 50s will also be completed.

Following a demanding delivery schedule, Mr. Tassos Philippakos, Chief Executive Officer of HAI, congratulated the employees of Hellenic Aerospace Industry. He also stated that the accomplishment of such a demanding task would have been impossible without their technological skills and dedication.

Also attending the ceremony was U.S. Ambassador Daniel V. Speckhard who emphasized that the USAFE's use of F-16s upgraded in Greece shows the trust Americans have in Greek industry.

Mr. Philippakos also passed thanks onto Lockheed Martin Aeronautics for its contribution during the important preparation phase of this project, and the officials representing Hill, Aviano and Spangdahlem Air Force Bases for their technical assistance and support throughout the project.

f-16.net