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 :

Raytheon awarded $12.3 million contract for HARM upgrade


Modification provides greater missile capability and accuracy

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a $12.3 million contract to begin full rate production of High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) Control Section Modification (HCSM) upgrade units. Raytheon received the award as the result of a down-select competition.

The modification adds a GPS receiver and an improved inertial measurement unit (IMU) for precision navigation to the existing HARM. HCSM also features a digital flight computer that merges targeting solutions from navigation and seeker systems. These enhancements improve the probability of hit, while controlling where the missile can and cannot fly.

"Leveraging several years of experience with HARM, Raytheon's HCSM will provide the Air Force with enhanced capability and accuracy, while simultaneously reducing collateral damage or risk of fratricide," said Chuck Pinney, HARM program director for Raytheon Missile Systems. "HCSM will fill a critical capability need for the warfighter."

Raytheon is scheduled to begin modification of existing HARMs early this year with delivery of HCSM units beginning in the fourth quarter of 2013. Raytheon has teamed with Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and others for the HCSM program.

The contract was awarded in Raytheon's fourth quarter of 2012.

About HARM and HCSMThe AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile is a key battlefield element to suppress or destroy surface-to-air missile radars, early warning radars and radar-directed air defense artillery systems. HARMs have made hostile airspaces worldwide safer for U.S. and allied warfighters. The missile resides in the inventories of eight countries.

• More than 4,000 HARMs have been employed in combat.
  
• HCSM adds GPS/IMU navigation accuracy, giving HARM the ability to engage time-critical targets.
  
• HCSM has new features that degrade counter-HARM tactics, while reducing the risk of fratricide or collateral damage.
  

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2011 sales of $25 billion and 71,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 90 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. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Note to Editors
The contract was announced by the Department of Defense in November 2012.

Media Contact
Holly Caldwell
+1.520.795.7608
rmspr@raytheon.com

SOURCE Raytheon Company

Citation :

Maj. Olivia Elliott, of the 40th Flight Test Squadron, climbs into her A-10 Thunderbolt II prior to a test mission Jan. 10, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Her mission was to wrap up flight testing of the new Net-T software upgrade on the LITENING II advanced targeting pod. The new upgrade allows the pod to provide ground forces beyond line of sight command and control capabilities as long as the aircraft is within range. This is the first-ever test of this new capability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)





Lt. Col. Casey, a pilot from the 421st Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, maneuvers into position behind a 151st Air Refueling Wing KC-135 to receive fuel, Jan. 18, during a training mission near a range in Utah. The 151st ARW routinely supports air operations across the western United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephany Richards)(released)

Citation :

GD, Alenia To Vie for USAF Trainer Competition

ROME — General Dynamics and Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi have teamed to market Alenia’s T-100 jet trainer in the U.S. T-X trainer competition, the two firms announced Jan 17.

General Dynamics will act as prime contractor in the team-up, which will offer the jet, also known as the M-346, as well as ground-based systems in the U.S. Air Force competition to replace aging T-38 jets.

The Letter of Intent signed envisages General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, acting as the prime contractor.

In a statement, General Dynamics said it would provide an Advanced Pilot Training family of systems, consisting of aircraft, flight simulation devices, multimedia classrooms and logistics support.

“The T-100 Integrated Training System will incorporate any unique U.S. Air Force requirements and will be built in the United States with an emphasis on United States-made components and equipment,” the statement said.

The M-346 has been purchased by Italy, Singapore and Israel, beating competition from the KAI T-50 in the latter two tenders.

defensenews

Citation :

Raytheon, US Air Force complete Small Diameter Bomb II fit check on F-35 aircraft


Test shows SDB II is compatible with Joint Strike Fighter
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force and Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) successfully completed a fit check of the GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. During the test, four SDB II shapes were loaded into an F-35 weapon bay alongside an Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. Sweeps of the inboard and outboard bay doors verified there was adequate clearance between the two weapons.

"Completion of the fit check is critical because it further validates SDB II's compatibility with the F-35 and keeps SDB II on track for a smooth transition to production," said Harry Schulte, Raytheon Missile Systems' vice president of Air Warfare Systems. "Once fielded, SDB II will provide the warfighter with an unprecedented capability to precisely strike moving targets in adverse weather conditions and through battlefield obscurants."

SDB II is designed to be carried by a host of 4th- and 5th-generation aircraft, including the U.S. Air Force F-15E; the U.S. Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, F-35B; and the U.S. Navy F-35C. The GBU-53/B is also compatible with the Air Force F-35A, F/A-22 and F-16C/D, as well as the Navy F/A-18E/F.

SDB II can hit targets from a range of greater than 40 nautical miles. It has a powerful warhead capable of destroying armored targets, yet keeps collateral damage to a minimum through a small explosive footprint. It is highly accurate and offers warfighters the flexibility to change targets, due to a datalink that passes mid-flight updates to the weapon.

raytheon.mediaroom.com

Citation :

Un chasseur F 16 américain qui a décollé de la base d’Aviano en Italie, disparaît des radars

Un chasseur américain F 16 basé à Aviano, dans le nord de l’Italie, a été porté disparu dans la soirée aux larges des côtes italiennes de l’Adriatique.

L’avion, qui volait en formation avec d’autres appareils, a perdu le contact radio avec sa base et il est peut-être tombé dans la mer. L’avion, qui volait en formation avec d’autres appareils, est recherché dans une zone à une quinzaine de kilomètres au large. (ANSA).

Citation :

Des fragments de l'avion retrouvés en mer

Un bateau de pêche a récupéré à l'aube dans ses filets des morceaux d'un avion identifié comme étant probablement l'appareil américain disparu.

29 janvier 2013 10:26; Act: 29.01.2013 15:17

Les recherches se poursuivaient mardi pour tenter de retrouver le chasseur américain F16 basé à Aviano (nord), porté disparu lundi soir au large des côtes italiennes de l'Adriatique. Les investigations se concentrent sur cette zone située devant les côtes de Lido di Savio, selon le «Messaggero».

«Les recherches se poursuivent», avait auparavant fait savoir à l'AFP une porte-parole de la base militaire et aérienne américaine d'Aviano, située au nord de Venise.

«Des officiers américains coordonnent les recherches avec l'armée italienne (...) L'appareil effectuait une mission d'entraînement au-dessus de la mer Adriatique, lorsque la base a perdu le contact avec le pilote aux environs de 20h (19h GMT)», a indiqué la base d'Aviano dans un communiqué.

«Nous faisons tout notre possible»

«Les équipes de recherche travaillent sur la base d'une hypothèse d'un crash de l'avion (...) Nous voulons assurer la famille du pilote disparu que nous faisons tout notre possible», souligne le communiqué.

Des traces de carburant ont été retrouvées dans la nuit par des navires de la capitainerie du port de Ravenne dans la zone maritime située entre Lido di Savio et Cervia (côte adriatique de l’Emilie-Romagne), où se concentrent désormais les recherches, selon le site internet du quotidien «Il Corriere della Sera».

L'avion, qui effectuait un vol d'entraînement avec trois autres appareils, a disparu des écrans radar peu après que le pilote, seul à bord, eut signalé un problème lors de son dernier contact radio, vers 19h GMT.

«Le pilote n'a sans doute pas eu le temps de s'éjecter»

Selon des experts cités par l'agence Ansa, «le problème a été tellement soudain et grave que le pilote n'a sans doute pas eu le temps de s'éjecter».

Le pilote de l'avion qui volait en couple avec celui disparu aurait entendu le SOS lancé par son collègue, mais n'a pas vu où l'avion a chuté car les appareils ne se trouvaient pas à proximité l'un de l'autre.

(20 minutes/AFP)

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/monde/story/Des-fragments-de-l-avion-retrouves-en-mer-23197999

Citation :

US Air Force hopes to upgrade aggressor F-16s



The US Air Force is hoping to upgrade its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon "aggressors" so that those aircraft can better replicate enemy fighters, the service's Air Combat Command (ACC) says.

"To date, generally, it is considered that the aggressors under-replicate the current threat," says Major Gary Barker, the ACC training operations division's F-16 functional area and realistic training manager. "It's very difficult for the aggressors to provide the threat picture that we think we would see in near-peer combat."

In an effort to rectify the problem, ACC hopes to upgrade the older Block 30 and 32 F-16s used by the 18th and 64th Aggressor Squadrons to the System Capabilities Upgrade-8 (SCU-8 ) configuration, Barker says. SCU-8 will allow the USAF to incorporate a helmet-mounted cueing system and a new center display unit, which Barker describes as having functionality similar to an Apple iPad.

"With that, you can simulate missile WEZs [weapons employment zones] and provide more accurate cueing real-time that can aid in kill removal and weapons assessment airborne," Barker says.

USAF

Right now, when an aggressor F-16 is replicating an enemy fighter like a Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker, it does not have an onboard system to simulate a weapon like the Vympel R-73 (NATO: AA-11 Archer). "We do not have an IR [infrared] weapon on the aircraft that is similar to an Archer," Barker says. "So the F-16 pilot will use visual references that he has memorized to determine when the adversary airplane is in range and within the appropriate look angle."

Using the current configuration, there is no electronic system that tells the aggressor pilot if he is within the correct parameters for a valid missile shot. The shots have to be reviewed on the ground to ensure they are valid--even if they are called in real time during the training sortie. But the current system does not work well. "Without a helmet--or at least a 9X CATM [Captive Air Training Missile]--the pilots have to basically spit-ball the threat WEZ and it is highly inaccurate," one highly experienced USAF pilot says, "So inaccurate that the feedback for training is useless most of the time."

The addition of the center display and Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System should enable the aggressor pilots to more accurately assess their missile shots in the air, Barker says.

The USAF is also hoping to incorporate higher quality training pods for the aggressors which would provide better electronic attack (EA) threat replication, Barker says. "The advanced fighter aircraft that are out there with their weapons and their EA is a continuing problem-to be able to do that accurately," he says.

The problem for the USAF is funding, especially in these difficult fiscal times. "That, what I spoke to earlier, is the plan," Barker says. "Securing funding to be able to execute that plan is a separate topic. Nothing is guaranteed right now."

While the current F-16 and F-15 aggressor aircraft are well-suited to replicating fourth-generation fighter threats such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKK Flanker-G, they are probably not going to be able to provide a realistic threat presentation of future adversaries like the Chinese Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31 or Russian Sukhoi PAK-FA. However, it is not a problem the USAF is immediately concerned with.

"Right now there is clearly little known about the capabilities and operational timeline for the adversary stealth threat," Barker says. "So it is not appropriate for the aggressors to replicate threats that are not fielded or near fielding."

USAF

Barker says he is not sure how the USAF will address the problem of replicating enemy fifth-generation stealth fighters. "It very likely will be a problem," he says. "But determining the scope of that problem, to assess how much resource we should put towards replicating it-we're just not there yet."

In the future, Barker says that it is likely that realistic training for the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 will have to be provided in simulators. But there will still have to be live training on the ranges-though the difficulty level will have to be ratcheted up significantly. "We are still working through the best balance there between live fly and simulated training events," Barker says.

Another possibility is live virtual constructive training where computer generated targets are fed into the avionics of real aircraft flying over real world ranges. However, Barker notes that a number of range safety and air traffic management issues need to be solved before such a system could be used for routine operational training. "For safety of flight reasons, it's still not a mature concept," he says.

The only real option for a future live aggressor aircraft is probably going to be the F-35. But using the F-35 as an adversary could be problematic. "The F-35 would be incapable of replicating quite a few adversaries," Barker says. "It's very difficult to replicate a non-stealthy airplane with a stealthy airplane, though it probably would not be the sole platform if we ever got to that point."

flightglobal

RIP.

Citation :

Italie: le pilote du chasseur F16 américain retrouvé dans l'Adriatique



Le corps du pilote du chasseur américain F16, qui s'était abîmé lundi soir au large des côtes italiennes de l'Adriatique, a été retrouvé jeudi, a indiqué l'agence italienne ANSA.

Il a été retrouvé aux alentours de 13H00 GMT, à quatre milles nautiques au large de Pesaro. Il a été identifié grâce à son uniforme, et le corps a déjà été acheminé par les garde-côtes italiens dans le port de Pesaro.

Le chasseur était parti de la base militaire et aérienne américaine d'Aviano, située au nord de Venise. Il effectuait une mission d'entraînement au-dessus de la mer Adriatique.

Il volait en formation avec trois autres appareils, quand le pilote avait signalé un problème.

Le pilote de l'avion qui volait en couple avec lui aurait entendu le SOS lancé par son collègue mais n'avait pas vu où l'avion a chuté car les quatre appareils qui effectuaient un vol d'entraînement ne se trouvaient pas à proximité les uns des autres.

Aviano, situé au nord de Venise, abrite une importante base militaire et aérienne américaine.

Les recherches se sont concentrées dans une zone au large de la côte adriatique de l'Emilie-Romagne.

Mercredi soir, un casque avait été repêché en mer par un chalutier, et auparavant un parachute dans la même zone.

AFP

http://www.leberry.fr/france-monde/actualites/a-la-une/international/2013/01/31/italie-le-pilote-du-chasseur-f16-americain-retrouve-dans-l-adriatique-1426852.html

Citation :

United States air rescue teams ordered HDT Storm SRTV Search and Rescue Tactical Vehicle


http://www.armyrecognition.com/february_2013_army_military_defense_industry_news/index.php

byebye SP

Citation :

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Spangdahlem Air Base's 81st Fighter Squadron is scheduled to inactivate this year as a result of the
overall U.S. defense budget cuts.

CombatAircraft

Citation :

Rolls-Royce Awarded $97.3 Million US Air Force Services Contract


(Source: Rolls-Royce; issued February 11, 2013)



Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has been awarded a $97.3 million contract from the US Air Force to support its C-130J transport fleet in 2013.

The MissionCare contract covers sustainment services for the Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engines as well as the nacelles and propellers on the US Air Force C-130J fleet. The work includes logistics and program management support, engineering services, spares and technical data support.

Paul Craig, Rolls-Royce, President – Defence Customer Services, said, "We are proud that the US Air Force has again chosen Rolls-Royce to deliver our innovative and cost effective MissionCare support. Rolls-Royce has worked hard to develop service support that aligns our efforts with customer requirements for mission readiness."

Through MissionCare, Rolls-Royce offers a suite of services, tailored to each military customer’s needs. The US Air Force contract is in the sixth option year, providing a variety of support for the fleet of C-130J aircraft. Rolls-Royce has met availability metrics every year, while helping the USAF meet its combat deployments overseas. Through proactive fleet management, Rolls-Royce has maintained greater than 90 percent parts and fleet availability.

The Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine is part of the AE product family, which has over 5,500 engines in service and more than 54 million flight hours. Rolls-Royce also supports the C-130J engine fleet through its new Defense Operations Center in Indianapolis, providing 24/7 real-time engineering support for operators of a variety of aircraft for the USAF and other military branches.


http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/142526/rolls_royce-wins-%2497m-us-air-force-services-deal.html

Citation :

Le Pentagone étudie l’envoi d’un avion E-8 J-STARS pour les opérations au Mali
17 février 2013 – 12:38

L’une des insuffisances capacitaires des forces françaises concerne notamment les moyens ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance), c’est à dire les équipements qui permettent de recueillir du renseignement et de surveiller les mouvements ennemis.

Cela étant, les militaires français engagés au Mali ne sont pas totalement dépourvus en la matière, avec des avions Awacs, Transall Gabriel et Atlantique 2 ainsi que des éléments de la brigade de renseignement de l’armée de Terre, pour intercepter les signaux adverses, comme leurs communications. Ils disposent également de renseignements d’origine image (ROIM) grâce aux moyens satellites, ou encore aux drones Harfang, lesquels font ce qu’ils peuvent. Et sans oublier le renseignement d’origine humaine (ROHUM).

Quoi qu’il en soit, cela ne suffit pas, d’autant plus qu’il s’agit de traquer des groupes mobiles dans de vastes étendues. D’où l’envoi d’un avion R1 Sentinel britannique en soutien de l’opération Serval et l’aide apportée en la matière par les Etats-Unis, via leurs drones.

Justement, Washington pourrait aller encore plus loin en mettant à la disposition des troupes françaises engagées au Mali un appareil de type E-8 J-STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System). Du moins, cette option, proposée à Paris le 13 février, est à l’étude.

L’E-8 J-STARS est un boeing 707 dotés du radar AN/APY-7 et de capteurs qui, développés par Northrop-Grumman, permettent d’assurer la surveillance d’un théâtre d’opérations sur une surface de 50.000 km2, de détecter et de pister 600 objectifs à 250 km de distance tout en transmettant ces informations en temps réel via liaison 16. L’US Air Force met en oeuvre 17 appareils de ce type.

http://www.opex360.com/

Citation :

F-15s Dispatched From Andersen to Intercept Russian Bombers That Circled Guam Last Tuesday



Russian Tu-95 Bear long rang bomber aircraft /
AP


BY: Bill
Gertz
February 15, 2013 4:04 pm

Two Russian nuclear-armed bombers circled the western Pacific island of Guam
this week in the latest sign of Moscow’s growing strategic assertiveness toward
the United States.

The Russian Tu-95 Bear-H strategic bombers were equipped with nuclear-tipped
cruise missiles and were followed by U.S. jets as they circumnavigated Guam on
Feb. 12 local time—hours before President Barack Obama’s state of the union
address.

Air Force Capt. Kim Bender, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Air Force in
Hawaii, confirmed the incident to the Washington Free Beacon and said Air
Force F-15 jets based on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, “scrambled and responded
to the aircraft.”

“The Tu-95s were intercepted and left the area in a northbound direction. No
further actions occurred,” she said. Bender said no other details would be
released “for operational security reasons.”

The bomber incident was considered highly unusual. Russian strategic bombers
are not known to have conducted such operations in the past into the south
Pacific from bomber bases in the Russian Far East, which is thousands of miles
away and over water.

John Bolton, former U.N. ambassador and former State Department international
security undersecretary, said the Russian bomber flights appear to be part of an
increasingly threatening strategic posture in response to Obama administration
anti-nuclear policies.

“Every day brings new evidence that Obama’s ideological obsession with
dismantling our nuclear deterrent is dangerous,” Bolton said. “Our national
security is in danger of slipping off the national agenda even as the threats
grow.”

Defense officials said the bombers tracked over Guam were likely equipped
with six Kh-55 or Kh-55SM cruise missiles that can hit targets up to 1,800 miles
away with either a high-explosive warhead or a 200-kiloton nuclear warhead.

The F-15s that intercepted the bombers were based at Kadena Air Base, Japan,
and were deployed to Guam for the ongoing annual Exercise Guahan Shield
2013.

Two U.S. B-2 strategic bombers were deployed to Guam in late January and last
fall advanced F-22 fighter bombers were temporarily stationed on the island.
Three nuclear-powered attack submarines and the Global Hawk long-range drone
also are based in Guam.

About 200 Marines currently are training on the island. Earlier news reports
stated that Japanese and Australian military jets joined U.S. jets in the Guam
exercises.

Guam is one of the key strategic U.S. military bases under the Obama
administration’s new “pivot” to Asia policy. As a result, it is a target of
China and North Korea. Both have missiles capable of hitting the island, located
about 1,700 miles east of the Philippines in the Mariana island chain.

This week’s bomber flights are a sign the Russians are targeting the island
as well, one defense official said.

Guam also plays a key role in the Pentagon’s semi-secret strategy called the
Air-Sea Battle Concept designed to counter what the Pentagon calls China’s
anti-access and area denial weapons—precision guided missiles, submarines,
anti-satellite weapons, and other special warfighting capabilities designed to
prevent the U.S. military from defending allies or keeping sea lanes open in the
region.

Defense officials disclosed the incident to the Free Beacon and said
the Russian bomber flights appeared to be a strategic message from Moscow timed
to the president’s state of the union speech.

“They were sending a message to Washington during the state of the union
speech,” one official said.

The bomber flights also coincided with growing tensions between China and
Japan over the Senkaku islands. A Chinese warship recently increased tensions
between Beijing and Tokyo by using targeting radar against a Japanese
warship.

The U.S. military has said it would defend Japan in any military
confrontation with China over the Senkakus. The bomber flights appear to signal
Russian support for China in the dispute.

Meanwhile, Obama on Wednesday telephoned Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to
reiterate U.S. nuclear assurances to its ally following North Korea’s third
detonation of an underground nuclear device.

A White House statement said the president told Abe, who visits Washington
next week, that the United States “remains steadfast in its defense commitments
to Japan, including the extended deterrence offered by the U.S. nuclear
umbrella.”

“It shows that the Russians, like the Chinese, are not just going to sit idly
by and watch the United States ‘pivot’ or ‘rebalance’ its forces toward Asia,”
said former State Department security official Mark Groombridge.

“One could argue the Russians were poking a bit of fun at the Obama
Administration, seeing how they flew these long-range bombers close to Guam on
the same day as the state of the union address,” he said.

“But the broader implications are more profound,” said Groombridge, now with
the private strategic intelligence firm LIGNET. “The Russians are clearly
sending a signal that they consider the Pacific an area of vital national
strategic interest and that they still have at least some power projection
capabilities to counterbalance against any possible increase in U.S. military
assets in the region.”

Airspace violations by Russian Su-27 jets triggered intercepts by Japanese
fighters near Japan’s Hokkaido Island last week. The Feb. 7. incident prompted
protests from Tokyo and took place near disputed territory claimed by both
countries since the end of World War II.

The Russian air incursion around Guam was the third threatening strategic
bomber incident since June. On July 4th, two Bear H’s operated at the closest
point to the United States that a Russian bomber has flown since the Soviet
Union routinely conducted such flights.

The July bomber flights near California followed an earlier incident in June
when two Bear H’s ran up against the air defense zone near Alaska as part of
large-scale strategic exercises that Moscow said involved simulated attacks on
U.S. missile defense bases. The Pentagon operates missile defense bases in
Alaska and California.

Those flights triggered the scrambling of U.S. and Canadian interceptor jets
as well.

The bomber flights near Alaska violated a provision of the 2010 New START
arms treaty that requires advance notification of exercises involving strategic
nuclear bombers.

Military spokesmen sought to play down the June and July incidents as
non-threatening, apparently reflecting the Obama administration’s conciliatory
“reset” policy toward Russia that seeks better relations by tamping down
criticism of Moscow, despite growing anti-U.S. sentiments and policies from the
regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey questioned his Russian counterpart,
Gen. Nikolai Makarov, during a meeting at the Pentagon July 12th.

The latest Russian nuclear saber rattling through bomber flights comes as the
Obama administration is planning a new round of strategic arms reduction talks
with Russia. State Department arms official Rose Gottemoeller was recently in
Moscow for arms discussions.

The president was expected to announce plans to cut U.S. nuclear forces by an
additional one-third in a new round of arms reduction efforts with Moscow.

However, the president did not announce the plans and said only during his
state of the union speech that he plans further arms cuts.

“Building Guam as a strategic hub has played a critical role in balancing
U.S. security interests in responding to and cooperating with China as well as
in shaping China’s perceptions and conduct,” wrote Government Accountability
Office analyst Shirley A. Kan in a September 2012 report.

“Since 2000, the U.S. military has been building up forward-deployed forces
on the westernmost U.S. territory of Guam to increase U.S. presence, deterrence,
and power projection for potential responses to crises and disasters,
counterterrorism, and contingencies in support of South Korea, Japan, the
Philippines, Taiwan, or elsewhere in Asia.”


This entry was posted in National Security and tagged Bomber, Guam

freebeacon.com

Citation :

Des armes laser devraient bientôt équiper les avions de l’US Air Force
19 février 2013 – 13:47
En février 2010, un Boeing 747, doté d’une arme laser appelée “Airborne Laser Testbed” (ABL YAL 1A ou ALTB), détruisait un missile à carburant liquide dans la phase d’accélération. Depuis, en raison de son coût important, le programme YAL-1A, lancé dès les années 1990, a été abandonné en décembre 2011.

De son côté, l’US Air Force a cherché à développer l’Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL), une arme montée à bord d’un NC-130 destinée à détruire des cibles terrestres. Deux essais concluants furent réalisés en 2009. Comme le programme YAL-1A, il a égalemet été mis un terme à ce projet. Un rapport d’experts de l’aviation américaine avait mis en doute, en 2008, l’intérêt militaire de ce dernier, tout en préconisant, toutefois, de poursuivre les recherches.

Pour autant, l’idée de doter un avion d’une arme laser n’a pas été abandonnée étant donné que la Darpa, l’agence de recherche et de développement du Pentagone, a récemment présenté un programme allant dans ce sens.

L’une des limites des précédents système était leur taille imposante. Mais, a priori, la Darpa aurait trouvé une solution pour construire une arme laser d’une puissance de 150 kiloWatt (kW) qui serait dix fois plus petite et légère que celles imaginées auparavant.

Pour y arriver, l’agence du Pentagone a ainsi conçu le système HELLADS (High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System), lequel doit permettre d’installer sur un avion tactique une arme laser d’une masse de 5 kg par kilowatt pour un volume n’excédant pas 3 mètres cube. Ce qui reste encore imposant…

Ce programme arrive dans sa phase finale de développement, après des expériences réussies en laboratoire. D’autres tests du HELLADS sont prochainement prévus au Missile Range White Sands, au Nouveau Mexique. Il est prévu de commencer les essais en vol de ce système en 2014.

Selon la Darpa, ce système d’arme laser fournira “une capacité supplémentaire pour les missions offensives”, avec une précision améliorée, ce qui réduira la probabilité des dommages collatéraux.

Autre projet de l’agence américaine : l’ABC (Aero-Adaptive/Aero-Optic Beam Control). Là, il s’agit d’un programme à vocation défensive, visant à installer une tourelle laser de haute énergie afin de protéger un avion de combat contre la menace des missiles.

Comme, ces derniers arrivent sur l’arrière d’un aéronef visé, c’est à dire dans un angle où, en raison des turbulences causés par le moteur de l’appareil, il est compliqué d’arriver à focaliser le rayon avec assez de puissance et de précision pour écarter la menace. Les premiers essais en soufflerie ont été suffisamment concluants pour qu’un contrat de 9,5 millions de dollars ait été attribué à Lockheed-Martin en janvier dernier. L’industriel a 30 mois pour que le système ABC devienne une réalité.


http://www.opex360.fr/

Citation :

Air Force takes first step in replacing obsolete CRT
displays in F-15E jet fighter-bomber



February
21, 2013



Posted
by John
Keller

ROBINS AIR FORCE
BASE, Ga., 21 Feb. 2013. U.S. Air Force avionics experts are taking the
first steps in replacing obsolescent
displays based on cathode ray tube (CRT) technology in the Boeing F-15E jet
fighter-bomber with contemporary technology such as liquid crystal displays
(LCDs) or other flat-panel technology.

Experts at the Air Force Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air
Force Base, Ga., have issued a sources-sought notice (FA8538-F15-MPD) for the
F-15E MPD Replacement program, which seeks to develop and build a form, fit,
function, and interface replacement for the F-15E multi-purpose display
(MPD).

The project calls for
eliminating obsolescent or otherwise-troublesome technology in the MPD such as
CRT avionics
display technology and high-voltage components. The replacement display must
not affect the present MPD interaction with the Boeing advanced display core
processor (ADCP) or change the operational flight program, Air Force officials
say
The MPD replacement should use current technology, reduce total part count,
improve reliability, and eliminate all component obsolescence utilizing
obsolescence models and other pertinent data. The new display also should retain
the MPD's current form and fit factor in the aircraft.

The sources-sought notice is a market survey to identify suppliers with the
necessary expertise, capabilities, and experience to develop a replacement MPD
for the F-15E.

Although this sources-sought notice potentially is a first step toward a
formal program to develop new MPDs for the F-15E fighter-bomber, the notice is
not a guarantee of a formal solicitation, and is not yet an invitation for bids,
Air Force officials point out.

Should a replacement program move forward, Air Force officials say they
expect to ask the winning bidder to build four pre-production prototype MPDs for
qualification testing.

In
1998 Boeing demonstrated an up-to-date advanced display core processor in F-15E
with a commercially based processor and display. The ADCP replaced the central
computer and multi-purpose display processor in the F-15E.

The ADCP program involved the Boeing Phantom Works in St. Louis; Honeywell
Defense Avionics Systems in Albuquerque, N.M.; and General Dynamics Information
Systems in Fairfax, Va.

Companies interested in participating in the F-15E MPD Replacement program
market survey should respond no later than 13 March 2013. To begin, fill out a
contractor capability survey, which is available online at
https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=3b79c806d857ecddcfe7f8dea15b757a.

For questions or
concerns contact the Air Force's Mike Shelley by phone at 478-926-2231, or by
email at mike.shelley@robins.af.mil.

More information is
online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/WRALC/FA8538-F15-MPD/listing.html.

Citation :

Lockheed awarded $6.9 billion F-22 upgrade contract

The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity
contract with a ceiling of $6.9 billion to upgrade the service's fleet of F-22 Raptor air superiority fighters.

According to Lockheed, the arrangement is a corollary to a previous Raptor
modernization contract that was issued in 2003. "The Air Force uses this to
authorize the Incremental Modernization capability efforts such as Increment
3.1, Increment 3.2A and Increment 3.2B," the company says. "F-22 modernization
provides upgrades that ensures the Raptor maintains air dominance against an
ever advancing threat - with capabilities such as advanced weapons,
multi-spectral sensors, advanced networking technology and advanced anti-jamming
technology."

The contract award comes just days before a 1 March deadline for when
automatic defence budget cuts kick in. The USAF
expects that the work will be completed by 20 February 2023.

USAF

The Increment 3.1 upgrade, which is already being fielded, adds synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) ground mapping capability to the F-22. It also adds the
ability to carry eight 113kg (250lb) Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) to the jet.

In 2014, the USAF hopes to field Increment 3.2A, which will add new
electronic protection measures and new combat identification capabilities to the
Raptor. It will also correlate data from the jet's receive-only Link 16
data-link and fuse it with the F-22's integrated sensors.

Later, in 2017 the USAF
hopes to start installing Increment 3.2B modifications onto its Raptor fleet.
Increment 3.2B is a hardware and software upgrade that will fully incorporate
the Raytheon AIM-120D and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles onto the F-22. It will also
further upgrade the aircraft's geo-location and electronic protection
capabilities. However, the USAF expects to incorporate rudimentary AIM-9X and
AIM-120D capability onto the Raptor before 2017.

The USAF is funding a subsequent Increment 3.3 upgrade as a separate
procurement programme.

/www.flightglobal.com/news

70%

Citation :

Air Force Chief Says 70% of ALL Combat Aircraft 'Non Combat Capable By
July'

AFA Winter, Orlando: Imagine if someone told you 70 percent of all American
combat aircraft would not
be ready to fly in time of war by July. That's just what Air Force Air Force
Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh
told some 600 people attending the Air Force Associations's annual winter
conference this morning will happen should the automatic budget cuts known as
sequestration occur.

This means 70 percent of all fighters (and MAYBE
Remotely Piloted Aircraft and bombers -- except those for nuclear missions and
aircraft in ongoing operations --we're checking) will be unready
to go to war.

Welsh was careful to note that the service would
protect all "named operations," so this doesn't appear to mean that troops in
Afghanistan will go without air cover, but it should send a very clear message
to those in Congress
who continue to cling to entrenched positions that they risk gutting the combat
capability of the military we spend so much to build and
maintain.

The degradation will begin May 1, when flying hours will begin
to get chopped, Welsh said.

But a congressional aide noted that the Air
Force has been on a downward readiness slide for years, taking money from
operations and maintenance to pay for new weapons such as the F-35.

"I
think if you ask the AF today, if normal funding were to be assumed through
July, about 40-50% of American combat aircraft would only be capable of meeting
wartime requirements. So no, it's not surprising that only 30% would be
available in July with restricted funding," the aide said in an email. "Over the
past 10 years, the AF has taken risk in its O&M accounts (flying hour
program and depot maintenance activities) in order to pay for modernization
(mainly F-35 which has been sapping their funding), and those incurred risks
that Gen Welsh's predecessors thought were worth taking have now become issues
current AF leadership has to address and fund now."

The Continuing
Resolution -- a stopgap spending bill -- currently in force will mean the Air
Force ends up short $12.4 billion in fiscal 2013 for the base budget, and $1.8
billion in the war operations budget, known as Overseas Contingency Operations,
the Air Force chief said.

Welsh didn't stop there. He said the CR would
mean that the Air Force would have to shell out an additional $1 billion to buy
a second Space-based Infrared System satellite. Why? Satellites are much cheaper
to buy in groups because of the cost of buying components in advance and because
of the high cost of the very skilled labor. If Congress does not pass a defense
appropriations bill for 2013 the service will have to delay the planned purchase
of the second satellite and that will drive up the cost.

He noted the Air
Force will also have to buy three fewer F-35s in fiscal 2013. And the CR and
sequestration will also mean delays to the highly complex software that is key
to the plane's combat capabilities. Those delays will put at risk the date for
Initial Operating Capability, a politically sensitive milestone, Welsh said.

defense.aol.com

Citation :

US 'to deploy drones to launch air strikes against al-Qaeda in Mali'
The US could deploy unmanned drones to launch air strikes against al-Qaeda's increasingly powerful offshoot in Mali under plans being considered by the White House.
">It would be the first known use of the unmanned aircraft in north Africa, where the US is considering how to halt the advance of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
This armed movement, once considered one of the weaker branches of al-Qaeda, seized de facto control over 300,000 square miles of northern Mali earlier this year. The territory dominated by AQIM includes airports, military bases, training facilities and arms dumps.
White House officials have met their counterparts from the CIA, the Pentagon and the State Department to discuss how to confront AQIM. The talks began several months ago, but discussions of American drone strikes have become more urgent since AQIM was linked to last month's attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.
General Carter Ham, head of the US Africa Command, told the Washington Post there were "no plans for US direct military intervention" but said that America would support counter-terrorism operations by other countries in the region.
Tanya Bradsher, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said: "It shouldn't come as a surprise that the White House holds meetings on a variety of subjects, including a number of counter-terrorism issues. The President has been clear about his goal to destroy al-Qaeda's network and we work toward that goal every day."

The Telegraph:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9582612/US-to-deploy-drones-to-launch-air-strikes-against-al-Qaeda-in-Mali.html

Citation :

MC-130J Commando II Heads to Cannon AFB


(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued February 22, 2013)



MARIETTA, Ga. --- Lockheed Martin delivered an MC-130J Commando II to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., today. Aircraft 5714 is the 15th of 27 MC-130Js to be assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command since initial contract award in 2008.

The Commando II supports such missions as in-flight refueling, infiltration/exfiltration, and aerial delivery and resupply of special operations forces.


Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/142933/lockheed-delivers-15th-special-ops-mc_130j.html

Citation :

Lockheed Martin Delivers HC-130J to Davis-Monthan AFB MARIETTA, Ga., Feb. 28, 2013 - Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]
delivered an HC-130J Combat King II to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., today. Aircraft number
5716 is the seventh of 15 HC-130Js to be assigned to the Air Combat Command
(ACC) since initial contract award in 2008. The HC-130J Combat King II, along
with the existing HC-130 legacy fleet, is the U.S. Air Force's only dedicated
fixed-wing personnel recovery platform, and is flown by ACC and the Air
Education and Training Command.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and
aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally
engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The
corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

www.lockheedmartin.com

Citation :

Air Force plans for extended-range Reaper
By Aaron Mehta - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 4, 2013 15:37:49 EST
WASHINGTON — The Air Force wants to purchase an extended-range version of the MQ-9 Reaper, allowing the service to strike deeper into enemy territory using fewer vehicles in a post-Afghanistan environment.

“They’ve approved it; it’s a matter of details now,” Chris Pehrson, director for strategic development with Reaper builder General Atomics, told Defense News, a sister publication to Air Force Times. “The program is going to go forward.”

Although the service will not comment on future budget submissions, with one spokesman calling it “premature,” a senior Defense Department source said the program will be one of the few new starts in the 2014 budget request due to Congress this month.

The president’s financial request is likely dead on arrival, with the budget expected to be nearly $55 billion over the post-sequestration funding.

But the fact the enhanced Reaper is expected in the budget at all, given the cuts the Pentagon has attempted to make, speaks to how important the Air Force views the program.

The use of UAVs in Afghanistan has increased significantly over the past year as the Obama administration prepared for troops to leave the country, and that trend seems likely to continue. The ER model could allow incursions into Pakistan despite the loss of the Afghan bases that have been home to many unmanned launches in the past decade.

The UAV’s range would be extended using a modification kit that will replace the wings on older Reaper models with a newer design equipped with fuel tanks.

The modification would extend the operational capability of the Reaper by about 10 hours. The standard Reaper is configured for 30 hours for the ISR model, and roughly 23 hours if armed with Hellfire missiles. General Atomics believes the ER model would up those to 42 hours for ISR and 35 hours with the Hellfire.

Pehrson said the company plans to meet with Air Force officials this Friday to iron out some of the details, but declined to comment on whether the company was expecting its new design to be in the 2014 budget.

Air Force officials have been intrigued by the potential of increased-range UAVs, not just for the tactical potential, but also as a cost-saving measure that could drive down the number of Reapers needed worldwide.

“Extended range would give you certain capabilities to perform certain missions which would be very advantageous, and it would allow the Air Force to look for certain efficiencies,” said Col. Bill Tart, director of the Air Force’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft Capabilities Division, in a recent interview. “Everyone has been working toward a normalized CAP [combat air patrol]. You have roughly between two and three per CAP, fleetwide right now. And if you got an extended-range capability, you might be able to cut that down because your airplanes can stay aloft longer.”

“We are, of course, looking at what the right range of capabilities, including range and endurance, as well as numbers and future requirements, should be for the Reaper and ISR in general,” said Todd Vician, a spokesman for Air Combat Command. “However, it’s premature to provide details of ongoing discussions.”

When asked whether the extended-range Reaper was included in the 2014 budget, Vician said, “I can’t confirm [2014] 14 POM plans until the budget proposal is released.”Extra Range for New Missions

“As we draw down in Afghanistan, as we left Iraq, our basic range has become an issue,” Pehrson said. The pivot to the Pacific, as well as a renewed focus in Africa, require UAVs that can travel longer distances, he said.

General Atomics began looking into an ER model 18 months ago, Pehrson said, and developed a number of potential designs.

That included two test models for NASA that featured an 80-foot wingspan. While the model successfully increased both the endurance and altitude of the UAV, the Air Force rejected it because of concerns with its size; increasing the wings by that much would require redesigning the infrastructure, such as hangars and shipping containers, which are already in use.Test models included versions with longer wings, but the Air Force selected a different fix: new wings, the same size as the traditional Reaper design, that come equipped with extra fuel tanks and winglets to help reduce drag. The fuel tanks are detachable, leaving the wing stations free to carry other payloads, such as sensors or weapons, but they are not drop tanks that can be jettisoned in flight.

The modifications are backward-compatible to the traditional MQ-9 fuselage, so teams in the field could strip off the wings and attach the new ones relatively easily.

Pehrson puts the cost per unit in the ballpark of $500,000 to $1 million, although he noted those are rough figures that could change.

“There’s no contract yet,” Pehrson said. “We’ve done some budgetary estimates, we’ve given them prices and they haven’t balked at that. They’re agreeing those are reasonable numbers.”

He also said the kits could be in the field 18 months after a contract is signed, in limited quantities.

The long-term plan would be for General Atomics to replace the older wing design in its production facility so new Reapers would come with the new wings installed. The Air Force has received less than half of the roughly 400 Reapers it has ordered, “so whenever they cut into production the remainders would be [extended-range],” Pehrson said.

C4ISR editor Aram Roston contributed to this report.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/

Citation :

Citation :

They're here: F-35 Lightning IIs arrive at Nellis

3/6/2013 - A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II lands at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., March 6, 2013. The aircraft will be assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron and the aircraft will be used for development test support, force development evaluation, and supporting operational test aircraft at Edwards AFB, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jason Couillard)

http://www.nellis.af.mil

Citation :

Nellis pilots take first step toward F-35 operational testing


3/7/2013 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Two officers from the operational test community are among the six pilots in the first F-35 Lightning II pilot training course after an Air Education and Training Command decision to start training here in January.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Bishop, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron director of operations, is one of the students who flew their first sortie in March. He will transition his F-15E Strike Eagle warfighting skills to the F-35 before he returns to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., next month.

"It's exciting, an honor to be a part of the future of airpower," he said. "The aircraft performed as I expected. It's a different feel and a different aircraft to get used to but both are easy to fly. Like any new aircraft, it's a different system to learn and I'm getting used to the basic maneuvers."

According to Nellis, four F-35s will begin arriving soon. The 422nd TES will add the F-35A to its list of aircraft they execute command-directed operational test and evaluation for like the A/OA-10, F-15C, F-15E, F-16CM and F-22A hardware, software, and weapons upgrades prior to combat Air Force release. The squadron conducts tactics development, foreign materiel exploitation and special access programs to optimize system combat capability.

"We will develop the tactics and technical procedures for the F-35 and how it fits in the bigger airpower picture for the U.S.," said Bishop about the work ahead of him after graduating here leading OT for the fifth generation aircraft.

Capt. Brad Matherne is the other 422nd TES student transitioning to the joint strike fighter and he will return to Nellis to lead the new F-35 division. The structure in their organization has a division for the five other aircraft.

Like other students at the F-35 pilot training course in the 33rd Fighter Wing's Academic Training Center, Bishop began his temporary duty here with an orientation to the world of the joint strike fighter and custom fitting for the high-tech helmet.

"I feel like I'm back," Bishop said during his first week at Eglin. "It's a smooth transition."

He had been temporarily stationed here before with the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at the 53rd Wing.

"The academics section focused on the basic system of the aircraft and how it works - the hydraulics, electrical systems and avionics," said Bishop who had no exposure to the syllabus before coming to Eglin.

The first half of F-35 pilot training courses remain in the classroom and virtual environment at the ATC until the pilots are ready to step to the aircraft for the first time. On the flightline, they are required to taxi the aircraft and fly six sorties before completing their training. Combined in-class and in-air time is approximately three months.

Bishop's classmates, who are stationed at the 33rd FW, have been a part of the team building up the F-35 integrated training center and inevitably had more exposure to the syllabus before the first official class started.

"The simulators are our real success story," said Lt. Col. William Betts, 33rd Operations Support Squadron commander who has been on the initial cadre team since 2009. "It's refreshing to hear others say it is just like flying the F-35 (once they complete the first flight)."

Bishop echoed the same high fidelity of the full mission simulator here and said there is no comparison, especially when remembering his experience learning to fly the Strike Eagle.

"During my transition to F-15E, the simulator was like a black and white T.V. screen hooked up to a cockpit," he said. "It shows how far we've come in (pilot) training. It's humbling for me to be around this world class environment."

When Bishop returns to Nellis, he will hone those flight hours as a student and develop a plan for his squadron to begin demonstrating the F-35's combat capabilities as software becomes available.

ACC's OT community has already paved the way for Bishop's team by standing up a unit at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where developmental test of the aircraft continues concurrently in the joint strike fighter program. He was able to greet three pilots from that unit in the ATC halls as they arrived in March to be a part of the second class. This pace should continue for the 33rd FW throughout 2013 with an estimate of 36 pilots graduating the course by the end of year.

ACC was able to get in on the Air Force's acquisition life cycle early to build their expertise with the aircraft by sending operational test pilots through the first few courses at Eglin. As the Air Force's declaration authority for F-35A Initial Operational Capability, the command will make a decision based on achieving sufficient levels of readiness in both capability and capacity.

Specific criteria established by the commander of ACC include the ability to conduct basic close air support, interdiction, and suppression/destruction of enemy air defense missions, with the targeting, payload, and other performance characteristics that entails.

There is currently no specific timeframe identified for anticipated IOC.

In July 2011, an Air Force Record of Decision proposed basing 36 F-35 fighter aircraft at Nellis between 2012 and 2020; 12 jets for operational testing /force development evaluation, 24 for weapon school training. Flight activities will occur at the base and the Nevada Test and Training Range.

http://www.eglin.af.mil