Sujet: US Air Force - USAF Dim 19 Oct 2008 - 16:43
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)
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 25 Aoû 2011 - 17:11
farewell c est deja poste sur deux topic, y compris celui la en milieu de cette page par MAATAWI.
bonne journee
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 31 Aoû 2011 - 1:00
m impressionera toujour la resolution au dessus de Luke AFB
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 5 Sep 2011 - 14:52
Citation :
Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has won a $569 million Air Force contract to provide Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) missiles and related items, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The contract pays for current fiscal year production of 234 AMRAAM AIM-120D missiles, the latest version; and 203 AIM-120C7 missiles for foreign military sales. The contract also includes related items including test missiles, warranties, parts, software and support services.
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Ven 9 Sep 2011 - 1:44
PACAF F16 du 34th FW en demo a Misawa(Japon),le 4 septembre 2011 lookez le Stall a partir de 6,20
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 12 Sep 2011 - 17:55
Citation :
USAF receives sixth C-130J at Dyess AFB
The US Air Force (USAF) has received the sixth of 28 C-130J Super Hercules to the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, US.
18th Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Robert Allardice said the latest C-130J delivery represents another key step in efforts to modernise USAF inventory to provide the best tactical airlift to commanders across the globe.
"Whether supporting contingencies, saving lives through rapid aeromedical evacuation, delivering hope through worldwide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief response, or a multitude of other roles, the Super Herc provides our airmen with a new tool to accomplish their world-class mission done better than ever," he added.
The 317th Airlift Group at Dyess, which currently flies the H and J models, will become the largest C-130J fleet in the USAF upon receipt of the 28th Super Hercules, scheduled for 2013.
The USAF squadron will use the Lockheed Martin C-130s to execute a variety of missions, ranging from military operations to humanitarian airlift support of Nasa's Mercury space programme.
airforce-technology
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mar 13 Sep 2011 - 13:50
Citation :
F-16s Escort F-35As
Posted 9/1/2011 Two F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighters were delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with 33rd Fighter Wing-piloted F-16 Fighting Falcons escorting the jets to their new home Aug. 31, 2011. Labeled as AF-10 and AF-11 by Lockheed Martin, the JSFs bring the total count of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft at Eglin AFB to four. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago)
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 14 Sep 2011 - 12:19
Citation :
Boeing Receives US Air Force F-22 Mission Planning System Contract
Published September 13, 2011 | By Marcel van Leeuwen
The Boeing Company has received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide mission planning support for the F-22 Raptor.
The order, valued at up to $24 million if all options are exercised, was awarded under the Air Force’s Mission Planning Enterprise Contract-II (MPEC-II). Boeing is one of five contractors selected in June 2010 for MPEC-II, an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity program with an approximate total value of $920 million over 10 years. The MPEC-II contract provides for the extension and sustainment of mission planning software, services and solutions.
Under the new contract, Boeing will continue development and integration of the existing F-22 Mission Planning Environment (MPE), which provides the ability to interactively plan and validate missions. The MPE gives F-22 crews a full range of mission information, from preflight data reports to postflight debriefing materials.
“Our current support of the F-22 program helped us better understand the Air Force’s mission planning requirements,” said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president for Training Systems and Services. “We will continue to work together to improve the integration and testing of mission planning products throughout the MPE development lifecycle.”
The F-22 is built by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Boeing supplies the aircraft’s wings and aft fuselage; integrates and tests the advanced avionics; and has responsibility for pilot and maintenance training systems.
Boeing press release
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mar 20 Sep 2011 - 15:36
Citation :
BAE Systems s’allie à Northrop Grumman pour l’appel d’offre T-X de l’USAF
Article publié le 20 septembre 2011 par Nicolas Perron
L’entreprise britannique BAE Systems s’est allié à l’américaine Northrop Grumman pour l’appel d’offre T-X de l’USAF visant à remplacer les 450 appareils d’entraînement T-38 Talon.
BAE agira à titre de maître d’œuvre et Northrop Grumman comme partenaire de fabrication. L’appareil proposé sera le Hawk AJTS (Advanced Jet Training System). Évidemment, afin de rencontrer les demandes du gouvernement américain, les avions seront assemblés aux États-Unis à un endroit qui n’a pas été annoncé.
«La vaste expérience de Northrop Grumman en tant que fabricant du T-38 Talon couplée à notre expertise de formation fera du Hawk AJTS - déjà une offre formidable – un candidat des plus compétitif dans ce marché », a déclaré Larry Prior, vice-président exécutif de BAE Systems.
« L’équipe BAE Systems/Northrop-Grumman appliquera son expertise tirées de décennies de formation d’équipages et de fabrication aérospatiale à ce projet, permettant à l’USAF de réussir dans leurs missions essentielles », a déclaré Thomas E. Vice, vice-président de Northrop Grumman. Il a ajouté: « Nous sommes dans cette compétition pour gagner ».
Plus de 900 BAE Hawk ont été vendu depuis l’introduction de l’appareil en 1976. 18 clients utilisent le Hawk tel que le Canada, la US Navy, le Royaume-Uni et l’Australie.
Au moins trois autres candidats potentiels ont démontrés leur intérêt pour cette appel d’offre : le duo Lockheed Martin et Korean Aerospace Industrie avec le T-50, Alenia Aeronautica, qui recherche un partenaire américain, avec son M-346 et finalement Boeing, qui a montré de l’intérêt pour développer un tout nouvel appareil sans toutefois annoncé quoi que ce soit d’officiel.
À terme, l’USAF pourrait commander jusqu’à 350 exemplaires du nouvel appareil d’entraînement sélectionné.
Voici les spécifications du BAE Hawk AJTS :
Équipage : 1 élève et 1 instructeur
Longueur : 12,43 m
Envergure : 9,94 m
Hauteur : 3,98 m
Poids à vide : 4480 kg
Charge utile : 3000 kg
Poids maximal au décollage : 9100 kg
Motorisation : 1 x Rolls-Royce Adour Mk 951 de 6500 lb de poussée
Vitesse maximale : Mach 0,84 (1028 km/h)
Autonomie : 1360 nm (2520 km)
aeroweb-fr
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Ven 23 Sep 2011 - 1:37
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Ven 23 Sep 2011 - 14:46
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 26 Sep 2011 - 15:41
Citation :
Seventh Dyess C-130J Super Hercules Delivered
Published September 23, 2011 | By Rob Vogelaar
Marietta, GA , September 23rd, 2011 — The seventh of 28 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft takes off for Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, on Sept 22, 2011. By 2013, Dyess will have the distinction of being home to the largest C-130J fleet in the Air Force.
Lockheed Martin photo by Thinh Nguyen
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 28 Sep 2011 - 13:52
Citation :
APG-82(V)1 approved for low-rate initial production
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 27, 2011 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that the U.S. Air Force has granted the F-15E Radar Modernization Program (RMP) approval to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the APG-82(V)1 radar system.
Boeing and radar supplier Raytheon also performed extensive flight tests to validate the design and development of the system. The RMP leverages prior radar development programs on F-15C and F/A-18E/F aircraft to significantly reduce cost and integration risk for this new radar.
"This is a great day for the F-15E and for the U.S. Air Force," said Maj. Brian Hartt, U.S. Air Force RMP program manager. "The F-15E RMP couples new technology with improved system reliability to position the F-15E for many more years of service to the warfighter."
The RMP development effort is undergoing an aggressive 14-month, 110-sortie flight test program at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Boeing and Raytheon will perform data reduction analysis throughout the test phase to verify that the system performance meets the rigorous specifications that make the APG-82(V)1 radar state-of-the-art.
"The RMP is the latest modification under way for the F-15E fleet that the Air Force has identified in its Modernization Sustainment Plan," said Karen Butler, RMP program manager for Boeing. "It will ensure the F-15E has the capability and performance the U.S. Air Force requires to achieve total air-to-air and air-to-ground dominance in the future. Achieving LRIP on schedule and on cost is a major milestone for the program and puts us a step closer to putting the system into the hands of the warfighter."
Production of the first LRIP lot of six units is scheduled to begin in October, followed by production of 10 units in LRIP 2 and 17 units in LRIP 3.
The RMP APG-82(V)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar will replace the F-15E strike fighter's current APG-70 Mechanically Scanned Array radar. The AESA provides improved radar reliability, maintainability and performance, as well as reduced support costs. When integrated into the F-15E weapons system, the AESA radar will significantly improve detection and tracking of enemy targets.
Other RMP elements include a wideband radome, modified environment control system, and modified radio frequency tunable filters, which allow the radar and electronic warfare system to operate simultaneously.
BoeingDefense.
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 29 Sep 2011 - 12:43
Citation :
Boeing’s Delay on $2 Billion Warthog Contract Draws Senate Cut
Boeing Co. (BA) is 10 months behind schedule on a $2 billion contract to build new wings that would extend the life of the U.S. Air Force’s ground attack jet, the A-10 Warthog, according to the service.
The Senate Appropriations Committee cited problems and unspent prior funding when it entirely cut the Air Force’s $145 million fiscal 2012 request for the program.
The A-10 program has experienced “significant delays and has not delivered a new wing” since the program began procurement in fiscal 2010, the committee wrote in a Sept. 16 report accompanying its fiscal 2012 budget.
Boeing spokesman Forrest Gossett said the company has put in place a “recovery plan” and expects to deliver the first of four new wings before Oct. 31.The fixed-price contract, which covers manufacturing of 242 wing sets and engineering services through 2018, would require Boeing to absorb any cost increases due to delays.
It’s too early to tell whether the committee’s cut will be sustained through the entire budget process “and what ultimately it will mean for Boeing,” Gossett said.
The new wings are needed to extend the life of the A-10 aircraft, some of which have been in use since 1975 after previous modifications. The new wings will keep the A-10s flying until about 2030 at a lower cost than buying new aircraft, according to the Air Force.
The Senate committee cut the Air Force’s entire $145 million request because the delays meant little of the $351 million in A-10 wing money appropriated since fiscal 2010 has been spent, according to service figures.
‘Below Established Standards’
The committee expressed its concerns “with the poor expenditure performance that is significantly below established standards.”
The Air Force plans to request $144 million in fiscal 2013 and $134 million million in 2014.
A pre-production wing set was delivered in March, five months late and led to a 10-month overall delivery delay, Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy said in an e-mail statement.
Boeing deficiencies included “challenges properly mating outer and center wing panels, incorrect application of internal fuel tank sealant” and a problem “prohibiting installation” of the main landing gear, she said.
The program is on schedule with a new program baseline and “is expected to meet projected delivery dates,” she said. “Boeing has dedicated considerable resources and made significant manufacturing changes and improvements,” she said.
‘Recovery Plan’
“We experienced issues during the initial manufacturing of the program,” Gossett said in an e-mail. The first wing was delivered “with no major deficiencies but there were items to work through as would be expected with any development program.”
“Boeing has worked with the Air Force to create a recovery plan and the program is on target to deliver the first of four new wings” before Oct. 31, Gossett said.
The A-10 Warthog introduced in 1975 is known for its tank- busting capabilities and built for steep dive attacks to fire 30mm depleted uranium shells at a 3,000-per-minute rate from its GAU-8/A nose-mounted Gatling Gun.
The Warthog gained fame as a tank buster in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. It has provided consistent ground-attack support since then for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including a four-hour Oct. 5, 2009, night fight in Herat province where A-10s made strafing runs on Taliban attackers within 30 feet of U.S. troops, according to an Air Force narrative.
The Air Force wants Boeing to replace the fleet’s thin wings with thicker ones that will extend aircraft’s service life to 16,000 hours.
bloomberg
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Ven 30 Sep 2011 - 12:33
Citation :
Ninth USAF C-5 Inducted For Modernization
Marietta, Ga., September 29th, 2011 — Lockheed Martin inducted the ninth aircraft to modernize to a C-5M Super Galaxy on Sept. 29. Based at Dover Air Force Base, Del., this aircraft has the distinction of being the last C-5B produced for the U.S. Air Force. Throughout its career, it has supported the warfighter’s operations in Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It has delivered cargo in locations such as Afghanistan, Djibouti, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, Spain and Turkey. Tail number 0045 has accumulated nearly 18,000 flight hours and more than 4,200 full-stop landings.
Source and photo: Lockheed Martin
Citation :
BAE Systems Brings New Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer Aircraft for First Time To U.S. Air Force Air Shows
ARLINGTON, Va. | BAE Systems, Inc. announced that two UK Royal Air Force Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers will, for the first time, demonstrate the new Hawk’s advanced capabilities at U.S. Air Force bases across the country.
The Hawk Advanced Jet Training System (AJTS) is the most technologically sophisticated version of the successful trainer. More than 900 Hawk aircraft have been sold to date across 18 countries and the aircraft is currently helping produce highly trained pilots around the world. The Hawk has been selected to be the future lead-in advanced jet trainer for the F-35 for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the UK, Canada, and Australia. USAF Hawk AJTS aircraft will be manufactured and delivered in the United States.
“We look forward to demonstrating the combined capabilities of the Hawk aircraft and associated ground based training systems to the U.S. Air Force and the public at large,” said Robert Wood, Vice President and lead of the U.S. Hawk Advanced Jet Training System Program. “Our Hawk AJTS offering for the U.S. Air Force will be a new variant of the aircraft with avionics and capabilities uniquely tailored to meet future USAF requirements. The current design continues to be the most capable and cost-effective advanced jet trainer – in service, in production and in demand, teaching modern air combat skills for today and tomorrow.”
The aircraft will complement the Hawk AJTS National Road Show, a travelling exhibit that includes video, simulations and interactive demonstrations illustrating the unique features of the integrated training system. More information about the National Road Show can be found at: www.baesystems.com/HawkforUSAF.
BAE Systems, Inc. is offering the Hawk AJTS as the replacement for the aging T-38 trainer, as part of the U.S. Air Force’s T-X program. BAE Systems, Inc. announced last week that it will prime this pursuit and Northrop Grumman will serve as the manufacturing partner for the new Hawk aircraft.
Bringing the planes to the United States will allow U.S. Air Force personnel to experience hands-on the sophisticated capabilities of the Hawk AJTS and underlines BAE Systems, Inc.’s commitment to meeting the U.S. Air Force’s training objectives. The Hawk aerial display demonstrates the off-the-shelf availability of a proven Advanced Jet Training System.
The Hawk AJTS cost-effectively trains pilots of next generation aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, and the Typhoon. Using synthetic avionics the Hawk can emulate expensive sensor suites and cockpit displays, such as a fully-functioning radar. The system provides pilots unmatched airborne situational awareness and a suite of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons training tools.
The Hawks also feature advanced data-link systems, night vision imaging capability, and 8G turning performance, and can have an air-to-air refueling capability. A proven, safe, trainer that is ready now, the Hawk AJTS is a perfect fit for the U.S. Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Advanced Phase Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals.
The two Hawk aircraft and the Hawk Advanced Jet Training System Demonstration Trailer will be on display at the following locations on the following dates:
• Oct. 1-2, 2011: Sheppard AFB Air Show, Wichita Falls, Texas • Oct. 8, 2011: Holloman AFB Air Show, Alamogordo, N.M. • Oct. 15-16, 2011: Wings over Houston Air Show 2011 – Flight Demonstration, Houston, Texas • Oct. 22-23, 2011: Fort Worth Alliance Air Show – Flight Demonstration, Fort Worth, Texas • Oct. 29-30, 2011: Randolph AFB Air Show – Flight Demonstration, San Antonio, Texas
defpro
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Sam 1 Oct 2011 - 14:30
Citation :
3rd Fighter Training Squadron makes final flight
ENID — A pair of T-38 jets taxied to a stop on the windblown ramp at Vance Air Force Base Thursday afternoon, ending a flying mission with roots stretching back to World War I.
The two jets had just concluded the final flight of the 3rd Fighter Training Squadron, Vance’s Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals Unit.
In May the Air Force announced plans to discontinue the IFF programs at Vance and Laughlin AFB, Texas, and to consolidate the 40-day advanced pilot training course at three bases — Randolph AFB, Texas; Sheppard AFB, Texas; and Columbus AFB, Miss.
Thursday’s final flight was made by 3rd FTS commander Lt. Col. James “Rock” Bottomlee, and director of operations, Lt. Col. Troy “Snake” Henderson. They flew to military airspace near Canton Lake, where they conducted a simulated dogfight as part of continuation training, which helps keep instructors proficient.
“I did too win,” a smiling Bottomlee yelled across the tarmac at his opponent.
Bottomlee wouldn’t call the occasion bittersweet.
“It’s bitter everything,” Bottomlee said, smiling. “Oh, no, not really. It’s been a really nice time commanding the 3rd and following in the legacy.”
The 3rd FTS, which stood up at Vance in spring 2007, dates back to November 1916, when it was established as 3rd Aero Squadron at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
“It is sad to see it go, sad to see the mission leave Vance,” said Bottomlee. “I think it is a good mission and we did well, training up some good students.”
In its four-plus years of existence at Vance, the 3rd FTS has trained 30 to 40 fighter and bomber pilots annually in T-38s equipped with gun sights and practice bomb dispensers. And did so successfully, Bottomlee said.
“Our students have over the last three years been 100 percent successful at their follow-on training,” he said, “which is a big deal because that means our product is a quality product.”
Based on the recommendation of combat commanders, the Air Force cut the number of IFF graduates it needed annually from 450 to 380.
Consolidating the IFF mission into three bases, Air Education and Training Command officials estimate, will save some $55 million over eight years.
In the wake of the announced closure of the Vance IFF mission, Oklahoma Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn and 3rd District Rep. Frank Lucas, wrote a letter to Air Force officials seeking a detailed cost analysis of the expected savings.
Inhofe is out of the country and couldn’t be reached for comment, but his communications director, Jared Young, issued a statement saying “Senator Inhofe believes that the numbers-driven defense cuts that are taking place are not best for our military.
“The loss of the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals mission at Vance will mean that the Air Force is losing its surge capacity, which will make responses to emergencies more difficult.”
Young said Inhofe continues to question the Air Force’s decision, saying the senator “believes that Vance can train these pilots efficiently, and at comparable cost.”
The IFF mission was formerly conducted at Moody AFB, Ga., until the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission divided it among Vance, Laughlin and Columbus. That move, said Mike Cooper, military liaison for the city of Enid, was not popular at the time among the Air Force brass.
“It was their original desire to leave that intact or to try to put it back together,” Cooper said. “They think they are going to save money. It doesn’t have anything to do with Vance itself. They do a great job of training. It’s just the number of fighter seats available. You can’t have a full stand-up mission if there are not a lot of people to train.”
Vance’s IFF mission includes 12 instructor pilots and two support personnel, as well as 16 aircraft. A ceremony officially deactivating the squadron is set for Dec. 2. In the meantime, Bottomlee said, the Warbirds will wind down their operations.
Some of the 3rd FTS’ personnel will be leaving Vance, but some, including Bottomlee, will stay on in different roles, he said. In the meantime, 3rd FTS instructors will do temporary duty at Ran-dolph and Columbus, helping stand up the IFF squadrons at those bases.
“As we stand down they are going to ramp up, and they still don’t have all the instructors they need yet,” Bottomlee said. “So we’re going to go and augment their instructors. The training that we’ve done here will actually just carry that experience to those bases.”
Young’s statement on behalf of Inhofe concludes: “He will continue to work with the Air Force to seek strategy-driven changes, and increased missions in the future for Vance.”
Losing a mission is never good, said Cooper, but there is a bright side to the demise of the 3rd FTS. Prior to the 2005 BRAC round, Vance was short on ramp space. But because of BRAC there have been millions of dollars in improvements, including ramp expansion and a new building to house the 3rd FTS.
“Because of the 3rd we have seen tremendous infrastructure improvement (at Vance), and our ability to take on additional missions,” he said. “We don’t want to lose anybody, but now we do have the capacity to do other things.”
enidnews
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Sam 1 Oct 2011 - 14:54
An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base
Spoiler:
HEres
An F-15E Strike Eagle from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
Spoiler:
HiRes
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 3 Oct 2011 - 14:37
Citation :
Boeing Returns E-4B to US Air Force Service After Scheduled Maintenance
The Boeing Company has successfully completed a regularly scheduled programmed depot maintenance (PDM) on one of the United States’ four E-4B National Airborne Command Centers on schedule. The E-4B was returned to home station Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., on Sept. 19.
A Boeing field team at Offutt Air Force Base now will support final modifications to return the aircraft to operational status. The aircraft was delivered from Boeing’s E-4B partner L-3 in Greenville, Texas, where it received new paint, following maintenance and some minor modifications performed at Boeing’s Global Services & Support facility in Wichita.
“This was an extremely challenging PDM because of the over-and-above issues that we uncovered on this aging aircraft,” said Glenn Winkler, Boeing program manager for the E-4B. “It is very important that we perform well because there are only four of these jets in the fleet, so getting it back into service as quickly as possible is very important to our customer.”
The E-4B is a modified 747-200 designed to be used by the National Command Authority as a survivable command center for control of U.S. forces in all levels of conflict. The E-4B has been on alert for the U.S. Air Force for more than 35 years.
Boeing’s Global Transport and Executive Systems organization is the prime systems integrator for the fleet of four E-4Bs.
Boeing press release, Photo: Archive E-4B Marcel van Leeuwen
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 5 Oct 2011 - 12:59
Citation :
Upgrades to keep B-52s flying through 2040
The Air Force’s venerable half-century-old Boeing B-52 bomber is getting its biggest makeover yet.
A host of ongoing and planned upgrades will keep the 76 jets flying for three more decades, service officials said.
“The B-52, as a bomber, still has a nuclear mission in combination with the Air Launched Cruise Missile,” said Maj. Gen. William Chambers, the Air Staff strategic deterrence and nuclear integration officer. “The continued upgrade of the B-52’s electronics and the effort we have underway for a new cruise missile are both examples of where we’re taking very old systems and making them last longer.”
The planned upgrades total three:
• The CONECT program will put a digital backbone and communications suite into the largely analog aircraft.
• A new 1760 databus architecture will allow the old bird to drop modern smart weapons from its internal weapon bays.
• Strategic radar will replace the B-52’s antiquated 1960s-vintage system.
In the past decade, the B-52 was fitted with the LITENING targeting pod, which allows the crew members to designate their own targets and send video to ground stations.
The various upgrades increase capability and make it easier — and, in some cases, cheaper — to maintain an aircraft with various subsystems and parts that went out of production long ago.
“The airframe itself is very solid, very reliable,” with enough life left in it to fly into the 2040s, said Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command.
The Air Force has a plentiful supply of engines, he said.
Digital backbone
Today’s B-52 crews rely on talking to each other to pass weapons and flight data within and beyond their aircraft. CONECT is meant to replace voice with faster, surer machine-to-machine datalinks, said Jim Kroening, Boeing’s B-52 development programs manager.
Based on Microsoft Windows, the new distributed high-speed network will add a line-of-sight Link-16 capability, new Internet protocol-based radios, variable message format system and new satellite communications, Kroening said.
The crew also will get color displays of moving maps that fuse data from off-board sources and present the data in an easy-to-understand format.
“It’s huge situational awareness capability,” he said.
Kroening said the CONECT has completed all but about two flight tests. It will move into low-rate initial production in June , he said, with batches of eight and 10 aircraft to be finished by 2014, he said.
New radar
The CONECT is also meant to ease other planned upgrades, including one for the planes’ main target-seeking radar. The radar, which dates to the 1960s, received its previous major update in the 1980s.
“We’re continuing to evaluate the strategic radar,” Kowalski said. “The mean time between failure is continuing to drop. We’re going to have to replace that at some point.”
The Air Force is looking at an in-production radar, but it would have to be hardened for the nuclear mission. The service would like an active electronically scanned array but may have to settle for a mechanically scanned array because of budgetary constraints.
“It’s going to be an affordability vs. capability tradeoff,” Kroening said.
A competition is expected next year, but risk-reduction work is already well underway. If all goes well, the radar could be installed on the fleet between 2016 and 2018.
1760
The addition of the 1760 databus hardware and associated software would allow the B-52 to carry smart weapons inside its internal weapons bay, said Cathy McClain, Boeing’s B-52 sustainment manager. Currently, the aircraft can carry precision weapons only on its external pylons, which limits the payload and increases the plane’s drag, she said.
Funding for the program’s Increment I should be available in the next three months for work to begin in earnest. By 2015, the aircraft should be able to load into its bomb bay the Joint Direct Attack Munition, Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile and Miniature Air-Launched Decoy.
Increment I will allow crews to load the bay’s rotary launcher with eight weapons of a single type, McClain said.
Increment II will double the number of weapons and will allow them to be mixed and matched, she said.
It also might add the 250-pound Small Diameter Bomb, which would further increase the number of weapons available to the B-52 crew, she said.
The Air Force, she said, hasn’t set a definitive operational date for Increment II.
Boeing is also adding the Sniper targeting pod to the B-52, which will give the plane more flexibility to use available resources, McClain said.
Nuclear deterrence
Though designed and built in a bygone era, the eight-engine jet forms a vital part of the U.S. nuclear deterrent by launching stand-off missiles, Air Force officials said. Since converting its B-1 Lancers for conventional use only, the service’s only other nuclear-capable strategic bombers are in the service’s inventory are its 20 B-2 Spirits.
As part of Air Force plans to keep the B-52 relevant in its nuclear role, Boeing has been asked by the Air Force to support a fly-off for a new air-launched cruise missile, McClain said. The competition will require Boeing to modify the hardware and software of the B-52 to support two cruise missile designs.
The resultant weapon, called the Long Range Stand-off Missile, will be carried operationally on the B-52 and B-2 bombers, replacing the aging arsenal of ALCMs, Kowalski said.
It is part of the Long Range Strike family of systems, which includes the new Long Range Strike Bomber and Conventional Prompt Global Strike, he said.
Stealthy and long-legged, the new missile will enable the B-52 to carry out strikes deep in enemy territory, even though modern radars and weapons mean the old plane would have to do it from stand-off ranges, Chambers said.
“The program is launched in the form of an analysis of alternatives,” he said. “We need the new cruise missile in production in the mid-2020s.”
The analysis will determine whether the new weapon also would be used for conventional missions, but Chambers said that right now, the service has set its requirements correctly.
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 17 Oct 2011 - 18:08
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A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot with the 77th Fighter Squadron adjusts in his cockpit before takeoff, Oct. 5, 2011, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. Crew chiefs with the 77th FS launched several F-16s to help pilots prepare for real world missions.
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mar 18 Oct 2011 - 12:35
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation three task orders under the A-10 Thunderbolt Life-cycle Program Support (TLPS) indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract.
Under the terms of a $4.9 million reliability centered maintenance task order, Northrop Grumman will identify related risk factors and develop maintenance strategies for selected systems and subsystems.
A $6.1 million aircraft structural integrity program (ASIP) Modernization III task order is a continuation of work completed on ASIP Modernization I and II. These tasks are specifically focused on modernizing the A-10 structural integrity processes and exploiting cross-cutting opportunities with other weapon systems within the Aerospace Sustainment Directorate.
Similarly, a $7.9 million ASIP Legacy III task order is a follow-on task to ASIP Legacy I and II. The ASIP legacy III tasks include investigating and evaluating circumstances concerning A-10 weapon system accidents and incidents, ensuring the operational safety, suitability and effectiveness of the A-10, and maintaining the A-10 engineering database, which includes engineering drawings, processes and other source data.
“Northrop Grumman is leveraging cross-company expertise for A-10 sustainability and support to ensure the safety of our nation’s warfighters,” said Chris Jones, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Logistics and Modernization Division. “We are also bringing innovation that enables affordability focused on increasing the effectiveness of this platform while reducing maintenance requirements while maintaining high aircraft availability.”
“Our team will assess, analyze and recommend cost-effective and practical solutions to reliability, maintainability and supportability issues the A-10 fleet currently faces,” said Cindy Green, A-10 TLPS program manager for Northrop Grumman Technical Services. “Our customer and platform intimacy ensures both the quality and success of these tasks. Northrop Grumman press release
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 20 Oct 2011 - 17:28
Citation :
Northrop Grumman Completes Lot 1 Deliveries of LITENING G4 Targeting Pod
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. | Northrop Grumman Corporation has completed delivery of the first 50 LITENING G4 Advanced Targeting (AT) Pods under a $277.8 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract from the U.S. Air Force.
"Completing Lot 1 is an important milestone because it puts a significant capability in the hands of our war fighters," said Jim Mocarski, vice president of Electro Optical/Infrared Targeting Systems at Northrop Grumman. "It also demonstrates our expanded production and upgrade capacity to execute Lot 2, our Marine Corps G4 and U.S. Air Force Advanced Targeting Pod – Sensor Enhancement orders."
The LITENING G4 Advanced Targeting Pod is the newest addition to the company's LITENING family of targeting pods, delivering the latest advancements in sensor, laser imaging and data link technology. LITENING G4's full 1Kx1K Forward Looking Infrared and Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) sensors, wider field of view and enhanced zoom deliver more accurate target identification and location at longer ranges than previous generations of LITENING targeting pod systems. The short wave infrared laser imaging provides a unique capability to capture images in situations where forward-looking infrared and CCD are ineffective.
"The prior generation LITENING AT pods are upgradable to the G4 configuration," Mocarski said.
Maj. Evans Boeve, Targeting Pod program manager with the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center described LITENING G4 as offering, "A significant technological leap, enhancing the F-16's combat capability while reducing pilot workload. G4 will greatly keep our troops and coalition partners safe on the ground and further the security interests of our nation."
Northrop Grumman has delivered more than 550 targeting pod systems to U.S. and international customers. These systems have maintained an operational availability greater than 98 percent, and have flown more than 540,000 combat flight hours. LITENING G4 has begun full operations at its first military base with seven additional base deployments planned in the near future.
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Sam 22 Oct 2011 - 12:56
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F-22 Raptors at Langley Grounded After Oxygen Problem
All F-22 Raptors at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia have been grounded after a pilot experienced loss of oxygen while flying.
Air Force officials are meeting on Friday to determine whether it is necessary to extend the grounding to the rest of the F-22 fleet. The pilot experienced what is known as "hypoxia," and had to return to base.
America's premier fighter jet has experienced similar problems in the past, though it is not clear what is causing the problem. The Air Force last month brought the jets back into service after a grounding months earlier over oxygen issues.
"There is no conclusive cause or group of causes that has been established for the incidents that prompted the stand down earlier this year," the Air Force said in a statement Friday.
While the Air Force is again using F-22s, the statement said officials are making improvements and pausing when needed.
"Part of our protocol is to allow [color:7b79=blue !important][color:7b79=blue !important]units to pause operations whenever they need to analyze information collected from flight operations to ensure safety. That is what is happening at Langley at the moment, and we support that decision," the statement said.
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Sam 22 Oct 2011 - 15:22
soit c´est un probleme physique qui touche une certaine frange des pilotes et donc reste a filtrer,ou alors le systeme Obogs du raptor est defectueux et doit donc etre remplacé par un autre(du F16 ou F35) en tout cas ca limitera son altitude mx a 12/15k. m
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mar 25 Oct 2011 - 18:56
Citation :
Northrop Grumman and ATK Successfully Test Minuteman III Stage 1 for U.S. Air Force
More Than 4,000 Minuteman Solid Rocket Motors Have Been Produced Since the 1960s
PROMONTORY, Utah | Northrop Grumman and ATK successfully ground-tested a Minuteman III Stage 1 solid rocket motor for the United States Air Force as part of the Minuteman Solid Rocket Motor Warm Line (SRMWL) program at ATK's test facility in Utah.
This test was the second Production Quality Assurance (PQA) ground test of the SRMWL Stage 1. The first Stage 1 PQA was successfully tested on March 24, 2011. The SRMWL is designed to sustain critical propulsion-related skills to ensure the weapon system can be sustained. The Minuteman III program began in 1966 and currently maintains 450 missiles deployed at three missile wings.
"We prepare for and assess every ICBM test very rigorously, and the success of this Stage 1 test provides one more point of assurance of the integrity and reliability of the ICBM weapon system today and the solid rocket motor industrial base for the years to come," said Tony Spehar, vice-president of Northrop Grumman's Missile Systems business unit. Northrop Grumman is the ICBM prime contractor and responsible for overall sustainment of the ICBM weapon system.
As part of the SRMWL program, up to ten motor sets over two years will be manufactured by ATK under contract to Northrop Grumman at ATK facilities in Utah. The objective of the SRMWL's PQA testing is to demonstrate the motors perform as designed. Each of the three stages is tested every year. Ground tests for Stage 2 and 3 are conducted in altitude chambers at Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee and each was successfully tested this past summer.
"This successful test demonstrates that the motors produced under the warm line contract are fully representative of deployed first stage ICBM motors," said Scott Lehr, ATK Aerospace Systems vice president and general manager of Strategic and Commercial Systems. The warm line program also maintains the critical skills, infrastructure and supplier base necessary to produce ICBM propulsion hardware in the future."
The refurbished Stage 1 case used in this test originally entered operational inventory in January 1961. ATK has manufactured over 4,000 Minuteman motors over the life of the program. The company recently completed a successful 10-year Minuteman Propulsion Replacement Program that produced approximately 1,800 re-manufactured motors.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/29163/
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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 26 Oct 2011 - 11:06
Citation :
F-22 fighters back in the air: US Air Force (AFP) – 13 hours ago
WASHINGTON — The US Air Force has allowed dozens of F-22 fighter jets back in the air after commanders briefly grounded the planes at two bases amid safety concerns, officials said Tuesday.
After a pilot suffered a lack of oxygen in the cockpit last week, senior officers at bases in Virginia and in Alaska ordered a "pause" in flights for the sophisticated F-22 Raptors, the world's most expensive combat aircraft.
At Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, the temporary ban was lifted on Monday and the commander at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia ended the grounding on Tuesday.
"The 1st Fighter Wing has resumed flying operations at Langley AFB" at 8:00 am (1200 GMT), said Miles Brown, spokesman for the Virginia air force base.
Air Force engineers will continue to collect data from the F-22 flights to ensure safety, he added.
It was the second time this year that F-22 fighter jets were grounded.
The Air Force stood down the entire Raptor fleet from May through mid-September -- a highly unusual move -- to allow engineers to check for possible problems with the plane's oxygen supply.
The precise source of the problem remains a mystery despite elaborate tests and safety measures, analysts say.
The fleet was allowed back in the air last month without a clear explanation behind a spate of incidents in which pilots appeared to suffer from a lack of oxygen.
The Air Force has been reluctant to discuss the problem in any detail, particularly the circumstances of about a dozen incidents affecting F-22 pilots over a three-year period.
At a cost of nearly $150 million per plane, the F-22 Raptor is designed mainly for dogfights against rival fighter jets. The radar-evading aircraft were not used in the NATO-led air campaign over Libya.
The Air Force has more than 160 F-22 Raptors in its fleet and plans to build a total of 187.
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Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
The Boeing Company has received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide mission planning support for the F-22 Raptor.
