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 :

Resupplying Forward Base Waza K'wah



Posted 2/3/2011

Bundles of fuel are air delivered recently to Forward Operating Base Waza K'wah in the Paktika province of Afghanistan. The fuel was part of a C-17 Globemaster III air delivery to help sustain members of Task Force Currahee, 4th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, whose only means of re-supply is through air delivery. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz)

Citation :

F-35 students to train on Talons, F-16s



By DAVE MAJUMDAR - Staff writer
Future Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilots will train on both the T-38 Talon supersonic jet-trainer and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter before moving on to the fifth-generation jet, a service official said.

That mimics the curriculum currently followed by pilots destined for the F-22. Raptor students train on the T-38, then take an eight-flight “bridge course” in the more capable F-16. The bridge course includes day and night aerial refueling and operating sensors and data-links under the stress of 9 Gs, said Col. Ken G. Griffin, chief of flying training requirements at the service’s Air Education and Training Command.
“We’re starting to talk about that in terms of a fifth-gen bridge course. As the F-35 gets closer, we intend to continue the same [concept of operations] with F-35 that we use with the F-22 right now,” Griffin said.
Unlike the F-16 and F-15, the F-22 and F-35 lack a dual-cockpit variant, so some pilot training takes place in a two-seat F-16D-model plane.
Traditionally, prospective fighter pilots undergo advanced pilot training and a supplementary course called Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals in the T-38 before going directly to their Formal Training Units to convert to an operational aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle or F-16. The six-week introduction course is designed to instill the fundamental fighter-pilot mentality and basic skill set required to fly those warplanes. However, the current T-38 is unequal to the task of preparing new aviators for fifth-generation fighters such as the F-22 Raptor or the forthcoming F-35.
The F-16 solution is a stopgap measure, said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at the Teal Group, Fairfax, Va. The F-16 fleet is wearing out and is far more costly to operate than a relatively simple trainer, he said. Eventually, the Air Force will be forced to replace the decades-old Talon in favor of a newer jet-trainer, Aboulafia said.

.airforcetimes

Citation :

Stalled budget leaves Air Force short of funds



By Dave Majumdar - Staff writer


Even as the Pentagon puts the final touches on its 2012 budget, the Air Force — and the rest of the federal government — is still operating under 2010 terms. And that means, among other things, the service is running out of money to pay its airmen, senior Air Force leaders said.
“If we don’t get some degree of relief, as the Congress continues its work, those will impose significant real implications on Air Force operations,” said Jamie Morin, assistant Air Force secretary for financial management.
Because Congress has so far failed to pass either of the spending bills that would approve a 2011 budget, Morin said the service is operating under a $7 billion shortfall compared to the White House budget request.
Operating under a continuing resolution, the Air Force may not award new contracts, increase production rates for urgently needed equipment or fund needed military construction projects, he said.
There are urgent bills that need to be paid, like paying the airmen, he said.
The Air Force’s military personnel budget is $1.2 billion short.
And the operations and maintenance budget is facing a $4.6 billion deficit.
A “bow wave” of deferred aircraft maintenance, facility maintenance and military health care costs are building up as the service operates under constraints of the continuing resolution.
Air Force Vice Chief Gen. Philip Breedlove echoed Morin’s concerns.
“The current continuing resolution, which expires March 4, has negatively affected Air Force modernization programs. Production rate increases and new production — which includes military construction — have been prohibited,” Breedlove said in an e-mail message sent Thursday. “Additionally, our day-to-day operations are constrained. An extended continuing resolution further increases the pressures on our Air Force, and funding shortfalls in military pay and health care will affect training and readiness.”
The Air Force has been trying to reduce the impact of the budget fiasco by moving around what money it is allowed to under the law, but the service is running out of room to maneuver.
“Our ability to mitigate is basically fully used up now,” Morin said.
The service had been raiding its procurement accounts to stave off a breakdown, but those funds are now running dry, said Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for budget.
The result is that deployed troops are not getting the equipment they need, Morin said.
Morin said one example was the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft. Under the proposed fiscal 2011 budget, the Air Force was supposed to purchase 48 Reapers this year as it attempts to increase the number of combat air patrols in Afghanistan to 65 orbits. However, Morin said, the Air Force is prohibited from buying more than 24 aircraft because of the budget impasse.
“Which means we’re going to delay getting capability to Afghanistan,” he said.
Another affected program is the F-15E Active Electronically Scanned Array radar upgrade, Morin said. If the contract for the upgrade is not awarded this year, the service may have to ground the aircraft “down the road” as spare parts are no longer available for their current radar sets, he said.
If a budget is not passed at all this year, the impact will also be felt by the F-15C fleet, which is also receiving new radar.
Flowers said other affected programs include the GPS satellites, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, Joint Strike Fighter, new tanker and the Wideband Global SATCOM system, among others.
“We’ll continue working closely with [Defense Department] and the Air Staff for the obligation authority we need to meet our mission requirements, as well as prepare for additional fiscal challenges and pressures that will come if the current continuing resolution is extended,” said Gen. William Fraser, who commands Air Combat Command.

airforcetimes

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
PHOTO: First MC-130J rolls-out of Marietta factory
By Stephen Trimble

©©Lockheed Martin has rolled-out the first MC-130J ordered by the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) ahead of delivery later this year.

The unpainted aircraft rolled out of Lockheed's final assembly plant in Marietta, Georgia on 7 February bearing the C-130's distinctive orange coating for corrosion protection.

Lockheed is scheduled to deliver the first of 15 MC-130Js currently on order to AFSOC in the third quarter.


The AFSOC plans to buy as many as 37 MC-130Js to replace several aging airframes, including the MC-130E Combat Talon 1, MC-130P Combat Shadow and the AC-130H Spectre. AFSOC uses such aircraft to insert and support troops clandestinely, flying at low altitude at night.

Lockheed adapted its production line for the MC-130J and HC-130J programmes. Assembly workers now install a system to receive in-flight refuelling on the production line, rather than modifying the aircraft after it exits final assembly.

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
Controller error cited in 777, C-17 airprox alert
By John Croft

Investigators are citing operational error by an air traffic controller after an American Airlines Boeing 777-200 converged head-on with a pair of US Air Force Boeing C-17 transports near New York.

The 20 January incident, disclosed by the National Transportation Safety Board, involved American flight 951 from New York JFK, tracking southeast to Sao Paulo, while the C-17s were heading northwest to New Jersey's McGuire air force base.

"The air traffic controllers talking to each of the aircraft received conflict alerts, and immediately provided traffic advisories and turned their aircraft to resolve the conflict," says the NTSB. "In addition, the American Airlines crew responded to directions provided by the [traffic collision avoidance system]."

Investigators state that the incident occurred in darkness at 22:30, 80 miles southeast of the city, and led to the aircraft approaching head-on, coming "within a mile of each other at their closest point". Their altitude has not been given.

Reporting collision-avoidance resolution advisories to the NTSB became mandatory in January 2010.

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
Northrop unveils new multi-band sensor for wide area search
By Stephen Trimble

Northrop Grumman has quietly developed and tested a new kind of wide-area surveillance sensor for aircraft in Iraq.

The multi-band synthetic aperture radar (MB SAR) fits in the same category of surveillance systems as the US Air Force's highly publicised Gorgon Stare pod. The key difference is that Northrop's sensor covers a broad area by using radar, while Gorgon Stare employs camera technology.

That means the MB SAR, unlike Gorgon Stare's electro-optical sensor, can see through clouds, says Matt Bechta, a deputy manager for Northrop. Although a radar is unable to positively identify people as targets, it can hand-off such "tracks" to an imaging sensor if necessary.

Last year, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) deployed the MB SAR to Iraq aboard the Lockheed NP-3D testbed to evaluate the new sensor's ability to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The team completed 34 flights, each covering up to 200km of road by flying 20 circles, each with a 20km diameter, according to the NRL.

The imagery was scrutinised to detect changes in the earth, which can signify the presence of an IED. With sensor operators on board the aircraft, changes could be detected within minutes of the initial radar scan, the NRL says.

The MB SAR scans for targets in the UHF and L-band parts of the spectrum, which allows the sensor to search across a wide geographic area. Most synthetic aperture radars are designed to search in the X-band.

The NRL has identified the MB SAR as a sensor developed for the Defense Intelligence Agency and the US Air Force, but Northrop has other plans for the new payload.

The company wants to transition MB SAR into a long-term surveillance payload for the US Army's fleet of Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ERs, Bechta says.

It it proceeds, the MB SAR will follow a series of intelligence payloads rapidly developed and deployed by Northrop in recent years. Previous examples have included the Hunter Green Dart communication-intelligence system and the vehicle and dismount exploitation radar.

"The services have deployed systems to the [Afghanistan] fight that in many cases are quick reaction capabilities [QRCs]," says Trip Carter, director of Northrop's airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission area.

"We're looking to partner with the army and other services to transition those QRCs to sustainable, evolvable, progammes of record for the long-term."

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
EADS, Boeing submit final KC-X price revisions
By Stephen Trimble

Although the timing and even the legality of the KC-X acquisition process remains uncertain, both competitors vying for the roughly $35 billion contract have submitted their last updates to proposals for the US Air Force tanker replacement contract.

The final proposal revisions submitted on 10 February should mark the last major step before contract award, although USAF officials have declined to specify the timing. Boeing and EADS North America executives, however, expect the USAF to make a final down-select in February.

But signing a contract could still prove difficult for two reasons.

First, a critical shipping error committed by the USAF in November sent evaluation assessments to the wrong bidders. That blunder has prompted calls by Boeing's supporters in Congress for an investigation by the inspector general, which may prolong the timing of contract award.

Meanwhile, a political stalemate over the Fiscal 2011 federal budget means the USAF may be prevented from awarding a contract to either company until the appropriations bill is passed.

Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Studies (CSBA), believes the USAF may announce a winning bidder, but signing a contract that launches the development programme may be delayed until the FY2011 budget is approved.

The final proposal revisions allowed both companies perhaps one final opportunity to rattle their competitor.

EADS issued a press statement ridiculing Boeing's proposed KC-767 NewGen Tanker as a "concept", rather than a proven aircraft. By contrast, EADS also claims that the KC-45, which is based on the Airbus A330 multirole tanker transport (MRTT), offers a 15-44% savings on operating costs with greater fuel efficiency.

Boeing's statement, however, described the tanker replacement decision as a matter of national security.

"This decision is critical to America's national security and its manufacturing base," Boeing chairman, president and chief executive Jim McNerney said in a statement. Boeing also described their tanker as the cheaper option that would save "$36 billion in life-cycle costs compared with the competitor's aircraft", according to Boeing's press release.

Citation :

Desert Eagle



Posted 2/10/2011

A pilot from the 65th Aggressor Squadron takes off in an F-15 Eagle Feb. 2, 2011, for a training mission during exercise Red Flag 11-2 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth)

MAATAWI a écrit:

Citation :

Desert Eagle

Spoiler:

Posted 2/10/2011

A pilot from the 65th Aggressor Squadron takes off in an F-15 Eagle Feb. 2, 2011, for a training mission during exercise Red Flag 11-2 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth)

ça donne envie de voir des F-15 sous camo marocain

Citation :

Lockheed Martin awarded $726 million contract for F-22 aircraft from US Defense


The Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $726,566,728 contract modification which is for the calendar year 2011 sustainment of the F-22 aircraft. At this time, $388,012,693 has been obligated.
ASC/WWUK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity

defenseworld

Citation :

Emergency bomb drop rattles Nellis neighbors



The pilot of an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet released two 500-pound bombs Friday morning in a safe zone five miles north of Nellis Air Force Base in an emergency procedure after an engine malfunctioned, base officials said.
At least one of the Mark-82 general purpose bombs exploded and was felt at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is near the base.
"We didn't hear it but we felt it a little bit. We felt it a shake the building," said Las Vegas Motor Speedway spokesman Jeff Motley. "We thought somebody dropped something really heavy on the roof."
The warplane from the 66th Weapons Squadron landed safely at the Air Force base at 10:07 a.m. after the in-flight emergency, according to a Nellis news release.
There were no injuries or property damage that Nellis officials are aware of, base spokesman Chuck Ramey said.
Explosive ordnance disposal personnel assigned to the base responded to the site, known as Jettison Hill, to render the area safe.
"There was at least one detonation. We're not sure about the other," Ramey said.
He said the restricted, Jettison Hill area is permanently withdrawn public land that is specifically set aside for emergency bomb drops.
The aircraft experienced an engine problem shortly after taking off from the base and the pilot followed emergency procedures by avoiding populated areas and executing a controlled jettison of the two bombs, Ramey said.

www.lvrj.com

meme a 8km ca fait trembler les habitations la MK-82

Citation :

U.S. Air Force Seeks $3.74 Billion for New Bomber Program



The U.S. Air Force is requesting $3.74 billion in its five-year budget for research and development of a new class of long-range strike systems that may include a new bomber, missiles and drones.
The Air Force is seeking an initial $197 million in fiscal 2012, which begins Oct. 1, to begin developing a new bomber, the military service said in an e-mail. Nearly three-fourths of the total funding will be spent in fiscal years 2015 and 2016, with the goal of “strike capability across the spectrum of conflict in the 2020-2030 timeframe,” it said.
The development of a new bomber will be the first such aircraft in almost three decades since Northrop Grumman Corp.’s B-2 was designed. Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. said in 2008 they would form a partnership to compete against Northrop.
The new “bomber will be long-range nuclear capable, able to penetrate hostile airspace, and have the option of being piloted remotely,” according to a Pentagon document accompanying the 2012 budget released today.
General Norton Schwartz, chief of staff for the Air Force, has said it will develop the new bomber fleet while continuing to use the Pentagon’s B-2, B-1, and B-52 bombers.
‘Optionally Manned Planes’


As a first step toward a new family of bombers, the U.S. ought to develop a fleet of at least 100 “optionally manned planes” that can carry a payload of 20,000 pounds (9,072 kilograms) and fly as far as 5,000 nautical miles, Mark Gunzinger, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, an independent Washington-based defense research group, wrote in a report last year.
Such a plane may cost as much as $500 million each and take about 15 years to develop, according to Gunzinger, the author of the study “Sustaining America’s Strategic Advantage in Long- Range Strike,” which was published in September.
Gunzinger said that plane should be supplemented by an unmanned bomber that can fly off of U.S. aircraft carriers and go 1,500 nautical miles; a long-range cruise missile; non- nuclear ballistic missiles that can strike targets within hours; and planes that can disable enemy radar.
These elements would be a new “family of systems” that enables the U.S. military to strike targets deep in countries like Iran and China, Gunzinger said.

bloomberg

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USAF to Train on New F-35 Before Year's End



The U.S. Air Force will begin training on new fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft before the end of the year, the program's top official said
The 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will take delivery of 20 F-35A-model conventional take-off variant aircraft with Block 1 training software after a brief informal operational evaluation so that instructor pilots can begin their training, said Vice Adm. Dave Venlet, the new JSF program executive officer.
"We're going to put them in the hands of the fleet and the Air Force is going to be operating [Conventional take-off and landing aircraft] in training at Eglin before the year ends," Venlet told a luncheon hosted by the National Aeronautic Association.
However, because it is unusual for an aircraft to be delivered to line pilots before formal operational testing is complete, Venlet said that the program will conduct an abbreviated informal test prior to handing over the new fighters.
"It's not a full operational test, it doesn't resolve any measures of effectiveness," he said.
However, it will provide an independent evaluation to the services as to how well the new fighter performs in the real world.
"It will inform [Air Education and Training Command]," Venlet said, referring to the Air Force's training arm.
Other than the "operational assessment" of the Air Force F-35 version, Venlet said he hopes to complete sea-trials with the Marine Corps' vertical-landing F-35B model in the fall. That variant has made 30 vertical landings this year, which is good progress towards taking the plane out to sea, he said.

defensenews

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USAF to Industry: Bomber Must Be Affordable



The U.S Air Force will not purchase the Long Range Strike family of systems, which includes a new optionally manned penetrating stealth bomber, if it is not affordable, a senior service official warned industry on Feb. 16.

"If it is not affordable, we're not going to buy it, and it's going to just fall off the wayside like it has at a different time two years ago," Maj. Gen. David Scott, director of operational capability requirements, told an aerospace and defense conference hosted by Aviation Week.Related Topics

What the Air Force is not looking for is a "Battlestar Galactica," of which the service can afford only one, he said. The Air Force needs a plane it can buy in numbers, Scott emphasized.
"We can not price ourselves out of a next generation penetrating bomber," he said. The service hopes to purchase between 80 and 100 planes.
Further, he added that the service would not explain many of the details of the new program. Those details would remain "highly classified," he said.
However, Scott said the aircraft would have "trade space" for future upgrades. Over the course of the production run, the bomber would be incrementally upgraded to keep it on par technologically to defeat emerging threats. Despite this, the aircraft would not be built in Blocks, Scott said.
Scott did say the aircraft would offer fused sensors similar in concept to the F-35.
It is necessary to the keep the aircraft modern because the jet might remain in service anywhere from between 50 years to 80 years.
"So the first one that comes out will be a little different from the last one that comes out," Scott said.
By the time the aircraft is in service, the Air Force would likely be looking at a follow-on aircraft, which is why the Air Force is only looking at such a small number of planes, Scott explained.
The Air Force absolutely insists upon a penetrating bomber because the B-2 will eventually be unable to go into certain areas as enemy air defense improve, Scott said.
"That's why we're hard and fast about a penetrating bomber in the out years," he said.
Scott added that the Air Force regards the new bomber as a national weapon.
Scott also mentioned other components of the "family of systems", one of which would be a long-range standoff weapon. He described the standoff weapon as an air-launched cruise missile, which would replace the nuclear-tipped cruise missile currently used by Air Force Global Strike Command.
Other parts of the "family" include communications satellites, electronic attack, and intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance capabilities, Scott said.

defensenews

Citation :

Lockheed Manufactures USAF Special Mission Aircraft



Lockheed Martin has completed the manufacture of the first MC-130J Combat Shadow II special mission aircraft for the US Air Force (USAF).
The aircraft will begin flight tests after installation of additional special mission equipment, such as the chin-mounted sensor turret.
The MC-130J Combat Shadow II will fly clandestine, low-visibility, single or multiship low-level air refuelling missions for special operations helicopters; and infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces by airdrop or airland.
The MC-130J will primarily fly missions at night to reduce probability of visual acquisition and interception by airborne threats.
The Combat Shadow fleet has a fully-integrated inertial navigation and global positioning system, and night vision goggle compatible interior and exterior lighting.
It also has forward-looking infrared, radar and missile warning receivers, chaff and flare dispensers, night vision goggle compatible heads-up display, satellite and data-burst communications, as well as in-flight refuelling capability as a receiver.

airforce-technology

Citation :

Lockheed Martin Receives $726.6 Million Contract Modification For F-22 Raptor Sustainment



Lockheed Martin Corp. [NYSE: LMT] has received a $726.6 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force for sustainment of the F-22 Raptor fleet.
This modification is for the 2011 Follow-On Agile Sustainment for the Raptor (FASTeR) sustainment contract, which was awarded initially in 2008, with an option for 2009 that was exercised. A follow-on modification was issued for 2010.
FASTeR is a Performance-Based Logistics contract providing weapon systems sustainment of the F-22 fleet at all operational bases for the 2011 calendar year, including training systems, customer support, integrated support planning, supply chain management, aircraft modifications and heavy maintenance, sustained engineering, support products and systems engineering.
In 2010, the U.S. Air Force deployed the Raptor around the world, including to Guam, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. In January, F-22s from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, flew 100 percent of scheduled sorties during a deployment to Kadena Air Base, Japan.
“The Raptor is one of the U.S. Air Force’s most highly deployed aircraft by fleet percentage, and ensures that the United States and its allies can control the skies and access heavily defended theaters,” said Scott Gray, vice president of sustainment for Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Program. “We work in close partnership with the Air Force to sustain the Raptor and to enhance aircraft availability, performance and reliability, at the lowest cost possible.”
F-22 Raptors are assigned to seven U.S. bases. Flight testing takes place at Edwards AFB, Calif. Operational tactics development is ongoing at Nellis AFB, Nev. Pilot training occurs at Tyndall AFB, Fla. Operational F-22 aircraft are assigned to Langley AFB, Va.; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Holloman AFB, N.M.; and Hickam AFB, Hawaii.
As the world’s premier air dominance fighter and the only fully operational 5th generation fighter, the F-22 is able to defeat denied-access threats, enable legacy aircraft and joint and coalition operations in contested areas, and promote deterrence and security.
Source and photo: Lockheed Martin

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
Raytheon reveals first glimpse of next-generation missile
By Stephen Trimble

Raytheon has offered the first peek into the company's approach to designing a next generation missile to replace both the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM-88 HARM.

For the first time, the company has displayed a full-scale mock-up of one of several candidates being considered for the emerging US Air Force requirement for a dual role air dominance missile (DRADM).

The design shown at the Air Warfare Sympsoium on 16-17 February features an AMRAAM-like missile body integrated with what appears to be a variable flow ducted rocket (VFDR), or ramjet.

In 2004, Raytheon commissioned Aerojet to demonstrate a VFDR propulsion system on an AMRAAM for a contract sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory. Raytheon acknowledges the influence of the VFDR demonstration.

"This model incorporates lessons learned from VFDR," Raytheon says. "However, the requirements haven't been established yet, so the model you see is one of several possibilities in consideration."

Raytheon and Boeing received separate contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) late last year to work on a next generation missile. The triple target terminator (T3) programme is aimed at hitting three types of targets - aircraft, cruise missiles and ground-based radars.

For two years, Boeing has displayed a conventional, solid rocket-powered missile at major trade shows as its DRADM concept. The 18cm (7in)-diameter mock-up for a next generation missile also was shown at Boeing's booth in the exhibit hall.

In addition to the DARPA work, Boeing also is known to have received three contracts from AFRL to develop three key technologies for a next-generation air dominance missile.

These include adaptable warheads that increase the lethal distance of the weapon, sensors that also serve as fuses for the warhead and reaction jet controls that allow the missile to intercept targets behind the launching platform.

The USAF had previously intended to launch full development of DRADM in Fiscal 2014, but the Pentagon's latest budget request may allow the service to accelerate contract award to 2013.

Speaking to the symposium audience on 16 February, Gen William Fraser, head of Air Combat Command, noted that the appearance of China's Chengdu J-20 underscores the need for key modernization programmes, including a next generation missile.

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
USAF funding for T-38 replacement jumps tenfold in latest spending plan
By Stephen Trimble

US Air Force funding for a new advanced jet training system has jumped tenfold in the latest five-year spending plan, but top officials remain non-committal about the schedule and strategy for fielding a new aircraft.

The five-year spending plan unveiled by the air force on 14 February includes $306 million for the T-X training system, which will replace the Northrop T-38C Talon and its simulators.

That represents a huge jump from about $30 million inserted in the service's five-year plan last year, and is perhaps enough to field an off-the-shelf aircraft on schedule in fiscal year 2017.

US Air Force funding for a new advanced jet training system to replace the T-38 Talon (above) has jumped tenfold in the latest five-year spending plan

Despite higher funding levels, top USAF officials do not seem confident about the T-X programme's future. Surprisingly, secretary of the air force Michael Donley has listed T-X among unfunded programmes, a list that also includes the Air Force One replacement.

Gen Edward Rice, commander of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), also declines to reaffirm the air force's original plan to start replacing the T-X in 2017. "We have not set an [initial operational capability]," he says.

The service is in the final stages of completing an analysis of alternatives, allowing an air force requirements oversight council meeting in March to set an acquisition strategy.

Options for replacing the T-38 include several off-the-shelf designs, including the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 branded for T-X as the T-100, the BAE Systems Hawk 128 and the Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 Golden Eagle.

Northrop Grumman also can offer to extend the service life of the T-38 fleet, or propose a new aircraft. Meanwhile, Boeing has expressed interest in offering a purpose-built design for the T-X contract.

USAF officials are expected to brief the Defense Acquisition Board about the requirement in June.

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USAF Missile Warning Spacecraft Completes Final Installations and Factory Confidence Test



The US Air Force (USAF) space-based infrared system (SBIRS) team has completed final installations on the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite.
The spacecraft has also completed its final factory confidence test in preparation for delivery to the launch site, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, US, for a 2011 launch aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle.
SBIRS GEO-1 features sophisticated scanning and staring sensors, which will provide improved missile warning capabilities and support critical missions simultaneously.
Final installations included the spacecraft's deployable light shade, solar arrays, thermal blankets and flight batteries.
Prior to shipment, the spacecraft's flight software, designed to provide highly reliable command and control operations, will undergo final qualification testing and final readiness exercises.
The USAF SBIRS team includes prime contractor Lockheed Martin and the payload integrator Northrop Grumman.

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Boeing Receives 2nd Option of B-52 Engineering Sustainment Contract from US Air Force




WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 22, 2011 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that the U.S. Air Force has exercised a $21.7 million option for the company to continue supporting the B-52 Stratofortress bomber under an Engineering Sustainment Program (ESP) contract that Boeing received in June 2009.
Under the terms of the $750 million, 10-year ESP contract, Boeing will continue to perform engineering assignments that maintain the B-52 as a ready, reliable and viable asset to the Air Force.
“This is the second exercised option of the ESP agreement, which includes an initial contract and nine options,” said Mike Houk, manager of B-52 Fleet Support for Boeing. “This option allows us to continue supporting our customer by sustaining, modernizing and upgrading the B-52 to ensure that the aircraft continues to meet its mission.”
Boeing will provide engineering design, engineering support and technical support services for the modernization and sustainment of the B-52H and its components, support and test equipment, and system integration laboratory. The work will be done in Wichita and Oklahoma City, and at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
Source: Boeing

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USAF Modifies JASSM Missiles



US Air Force (USAF) personnel in Europe have assisted an AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) team to modify missiles at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
The modification of missiles included retrofits.
USAF members of the 86th Munitions Squadron tested and safely secured the munitions after the JASSM team completed the modifications.

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The Boeing Co. of Seattle, Washington, was awarded a fixed price incentive firm contract valued at over $3.5 billion for the KC-X Engineering and Manufacturing Development which will deliver 18 aircraft by 2017. Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC/WKK), Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-11-C600).

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SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
USAF selects Boeing for KC-X contract
By Stephen Trimble

Boeing has been selected to deliver 179 KC-767 New Gen Tankers to the US Air Force, but the final chapter may yet be unwritten in the long-running KC-X competition between Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

In awarding the $35 billion contract today, the USAF concluded after a seven-month evaluation that the KC-767 would be less expensive to buy and operate than EADS' proposed KC-45.

But the decision may still be challenged by the losing bidder. The USAF's attempt to award a contract three years ago after selecting the KC-45 was overturned by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), citing major inconsistencies between the evaluation criteria and the basis for contract award.

In the subsequent competition launched in September 2009, the USAF adopted a new acquisition strategy for the KC-X competition that emphasises the lowest price over "best value" to determine the winner.

The new strategy caused Northrop Grumman, which had previously led EADS' team, to withdraw from the competition, citing an unfair bidding process. EADS officials, however, decided to enter the competition as a prime contractor after the USAF issued a final request for proposals in March last year.

The USAF's acquisition process also was focused on running an error-free competition, but a critical mistake by the service's source selection team tarnished the process. On 1 November, the USAF discovered that it had mistakenly mailed a package containing evaluation documents to the wrong bidders, which ultimately allowed both competitors to know a preliminary evaluation score for the other team.

The KC-X contract process has been marred by serious errors ever since it began nearly 10 years ago. Two Boeing executives were sent to jail and the chief executive was fired over improprieties discovered when the USAF attempted to award a sole-source deal to lease 100 KC-767As in 2004.

3,5B$ pas 35 cher flightglobal

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Air Force Announces KC-46A Tanker Contract Award

The Department of the Air Force announced today the award of an engineering and manufacturing development contract valued at more than $3.5 billion for the KC-46A aerial refueler to Boeing Co. of Seattle, Washington.

The Air Force-led selection effort included experts from the larger Department of Defense community, including the office of the Defense Secretary's staff and independent review teams during each step of the process.

"Many factors were evaluated during the tanker selection process,” said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley.

Selection "took into account mission effectiveness in wartime and life cycle costs as embodied in fuel efficiency and military construction costs," said Donley, emphasizing that both offerors met all the mandatory requirements.

“The thorough and transparent selection process was marked by continual dialogue with offerors to ensure the Air Force had a clear understanding of their proposals and the companies clearly understood the service's analysis of their offers,” said Donley.

"Gen. Schwartz and I are confident in the fact that when our young pilots, boom operators and maintainers receive this aircraft, they will have the tools they need to be successful at what we ask them to do," Donley said.

"To the men and women of our Air Force, today's announcement represents a long-overdue start to a much-needed program," Donley said. "Your Air Force leadership, supported by others throughout the Department of Defense, is determined to see this through, and we will stand behind this work."

The program will deliver the first 18 aircraft by 2017. Basing decisions for the aircraft will take place over the next couple of years.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14292