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

The A-10 Thunderbolt II provides the type of close-air support that ground-pounders love and the Taliban dread. Although the A-10s are workhorses in the war on terrorism, the Air Force in its new budget request is planning to get rid of five squadrons. [b]As part of the Defense Department's efforts to trim close to $500 billion in spending over the next decade, defense officials said Friday that the service intends to cut five A-10 tactical squadrons and two other squadrons as well.[/b] The Thunderbolt squadrons to be stood down encompass one active-duty, one Reserve and three National Guard units. The remaining two squadrons disappearing are a Guard F-16 tactical unit and an F-15 training squadron. a écrit:

http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20120130/NEWS/201300303/5-10-squadrons-cut

J'ai eu cette info sur un forum américain ou je suis inscrit (FAR SOLDIER  mon pseudo) (Armchair General Forum) . Pourquoi on ne négocie pas avec les ricains pour nous les vendre , sa serait intéressant quand même pour nos FRA .

airmen with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron load pallets on a C-130H Hercules at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

 
An F-16 Fighting Falcon moves rapidly as fuels operators and crew chiefs execute a technique called hot pit refueling at Shaw Air Force Base,


 An F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft departs during the mission employment phase exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.


Active-duty and Reserve F-22 Raptor pilots from the 90th Fighter Squadron and 302nd FS returned home after a deployment at Andersen Air Force Base

 
F-16 Fighting Falcons fly over Florida’s Emerald Coast during a design-try-out mission for a new operational flight program software upgrade

Citation :

B-1 test squadron demonstrates anti-ship missile

7/15/2013 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron successfully completed their first captive carry test of a Long Range Anti-Ship Missile on-board a B-1 Bomber June 17, marking a significant step forward toward the B-1's role in the maritime environment.

Designed and developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research, the LRASM is based off the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range and was constructed as part of an effort to overcome challenges faced by current anti-ship missiles penetrating sophisticated enemy air defense systems.

"This is a big stepping stone toward fielding an anti-surface warfare cruise missile," said Maj. Shane Garner, 337th TES. "However, at the end of this program, this particular missile is not going to be a fielded weapon; it's what we call a technology demonstrator. The point of this program isn't to field a missile, but to demonstrate the new technologies they want to put into an anti-surface warfare JASSM variant."

Because the LRASM leverages the state-of-the-art JASSM-ER airframe, it proved to be a seamless transition for the B-1 in terms of compatibility, significantly reducing the time and costs associated with traditional weapons testing.

"When the B-1 looks at this missile it just reads it as a JASSM-ER," said Capt. Alicia Datzman, 337th TES. "In turn, DARPA was able to exploit that capability and simply add on the new technology to expedite the cost. Currently, JASSM officials are doing everything they can to take this missile's technology and move it into a program that would eventually become operational."

However, while the LRASM does utilize the airframe of the JASSM-ER, it incorporates additional sensors and systems to achieve a stealthy and survivable subsonic cruise missile as well as a weapon data link and an enhanced digital anti-jam GPS to detect and destroy specific targets within a group of ships.

"One of the biggest improvements of this weapon is its ability to receive target or coordinate updates in-flight," Garner said. "Unlike the JASSMs 'fire and forget' mentality, this new technology gives you the chance to 'fire and change your mind.' Because of the standoff feature these weapons possess, they tend to be in-flight for some time. For us to be able to change its coordinates on the fly provides us with a large range of flexibility."

The overarching concept behind the B-1's rise in the maritime environment can be attributed to the Department of Defense's much discussed Air-Sea Battle concept, in which long range bombers serve as a key tenet.

ASB is designed to guide the four branches of the armed forces as they work together to maintain a continued U.S. advantage against the global proliferation of advanced military technologies and anti-access/area denial capabilities.

Furthermore, should the LRASM technology be fielded into a variant of the JASSM-ER, the B-1 presents itself as a premier platform to carry the weapon, as it is currently capable of carrying 24 of the long range missiles, tops across all Air Force platforms.

The 337th TES is scheduled to complete its first live-fire test of the missile in the coming months.

(This article is approved for public release, distribution unlimited)

http://www.acc.af.mil

Cyberspace

Citation :

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
22 July 2013
The US Air Force (USAF) has stood up a flight test unit for the Boeing KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft following commencement of the build of the first aircraft earlier in the year, the service disclosed on 17 July.

Air Force Materiel Command officially stood up the 418th Flight Test Squadron (FTS), Detachment 1, during an activation ceremony held by the 412th Test Wing (TW) in Seattle, Washington, on 11 July.

According to the air force, this new unit will be located at King County International Airport (colloquially known as Boeing Field) near Seattle. This is also the site where Boeing will equip the 'green' 767-2C provisioned freighter airframes built at the nearby Everett manufacturing facility with the military and aerial refuelling equipment required to turn them into fully fledged KC-46A tankers.

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Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod Achieves Operational Flight Status on U.S. Air Force B-52 Bombers

Orlando, Fla., July 25, 2013 – Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE:LMT] Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) has achieved operational flight status on the B-52 bomber.
With the addition of the B-52, Sniper ATP is the only targeting pod operational across six U.S. Air Force fighter and bomber aircraft platforms. Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force completed Sniper ATP B-52 site activation at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
“Achieving operational flight status of the Sniper ATP on the B-52 delivers the pod’s flexibility and advanced capabilities to additional warfighters,” said Ken Fuhr, director of fixed wing programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Sniper integration will provide aircrews with critical long-range, positive target identification and video datalink capability, along with an updated software suite that streamlines the targeting process and improves crew safety.”
The Sniper ATP provides pilots high-resolution imagery for precision targeting and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Sniper ATP detects, identifies, automatically tracks and laser designates small tactical targets at long ranges. It also supports employment of all laser- and GPS-guided weapons against multiple fixed and moving targets. A video datalink enables pilots to share real-time video with troops on the ground for improved situational awareness and rapid target coordination.
The Sniper ATP is interoperable across multiple platforms, including U.S. Air Force and multinational F-15, F-16, F-18, A-10, B-1 and B-52 aircraft.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is a 2012 recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance excellence. The Malcolm Baldrige Award represents the highest honor that can be awarded to American companies for achievement in leadership, strategic planning, customer relations, measurement, analysis, workforce excellence, operations and business results.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 116,000 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.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2013/july/0725_Lockheed_Martins_Sniper_Advanced_Targeting_Pod.html

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Lockheed Martin Selects Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) for the F-16 AESA Radar Upgrade Program

SABR Will Provide Unprecedented Radar Capability to U.S. Air Force and International F-16s

LINTHICUM, Md. – July 31, 2013 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has competitively selected Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) for the U.S. Air Force and Taiwan F-16 radar modernization and upgrade programs.

Work on the F-16 AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar program will be performed at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector headquarters facility in Linthicum.

"The F-16 has been a front-line fighter for the Air Force for more than 30 years, and SABR will keep it there for decades to come. We built on our rich heritage of active electronically scanned array innovation to deliver fifth generation fighter radar capability to the F-16. SABR will provide F-16s unprecedented operational capability, greater reliability and viability in threat environments beyond 2025," said Joseph Ensor, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's ISR and Targeting Systems Division.

"The conclusion of the AESA radar competition marks the next chapter in the Fighting Falcon's ongoing evolution – the F-16V," said Roderick McLean, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's F-16/F-22 Integrated Fight Group. "This next generation radar will deliver unprecedented capabilities to the most widely used 4th generation fighter ever flown."

Northrop Grumman's newest airborne fire control radar, SABR is an affordable, multifunction AESA radar designed for low risk retrofit in current F-16s and is scalable for integration in other aircraft. SABR provides improved situational awareness, greater detection, high-resolution SAR maps, automatic target cueing, electronic protection, interleaved air-to-air and air-to-surface mode operations, and all-environment precision strike capability.

"SABR's affordability, proven performance, and low risk make it the natural choice as the baseline AESA radar for new F-16 production aircraft and upgrades worldwide," noted Ensor.

Other AESA radars developed by the company are currently flying on the Block 60 F-16, F-22 and F-35 Lightning II.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

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US Air Force may cut five squadrons


The US Air Force may cut five squadrons of tactical aircraft and reduce the fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130s in service, should a long-term fiscal sequestration policy be implemented, says Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

The cuts to aerial capability could be made "at minimal risk," Hagel said during a 31 July media presentation. 'Tactical' is a description generally applied to aircraft like the Fairchild Republic A-10, Boeing F-15 and Lockheed F-16 - types meant to serve as air superiority, air defence and light strike platforms.

Despite cuts to tactical platforms, Hagel suggests that the USA must "protect investments to counter anti-access and air denial threats, such as Long Range Strike (LRS), submarine cruise missile upgrades, and the [Lockheed F-35] Joint Strike Fighter."

The F-35, which is in the midst of a multinational procurement and test-flight process, is meant to replace legacy tactical platforms, namely the F-16, and Boeing F/A-18 and AV-8B. The JSF is also the most expensive military programme in history. The nascent Long Range Strike programme is meant to develop a large stealth bomber to augment the Northrop Grumman B-2.

"There are no specifics decided yet," says the USAF. "As the secretary said, those are choices but we're awaiting a decision, and we expect those to be part of future budgets."

The threatened cuts appear aimed exclusively at the USAF tactical fighter fleet. The number of combat-coded fighter squadrons is now at 54, following a round of cost-cutting that trimmed seven units from its roster.

The US Army could suffer cuts as well, including to its large aviation capability. Hagel notes that in one scenario, the service could cut from over 550,000 active-duty soldiers to as few as 420,000 and still meet essential requirements.

http://www.flightglobal.com

A pilot thanks the KC-135 Stratotanker aircrew as his F-16 Fighting Falcon gets refueled over Afghanistan, July 25, 2013

 




A-10 Thunderbolt II while it is refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker from Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, over Afghanistian July 25, 2013.




An F-15E Strike Eagle flies alongside a 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 Stratotanker during an in-air refueling mission, July 17, 2013, over Afghanistan


 the B-1B Lancer in Southwest Asia


Afghan Air Force 2nd Lt. Niloofar Rhmani, Kabul Air Wing pilot, and U.S. Air Force Capt. Aaron Marx, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group executive officer and AAF pilot advisor, preflight a Cessna 208 at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, July 18, 2013.


a C-5 Galaxy, July 22, 2013, at Joint Base Charleston

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Obama nominates Deborah Lee James as Air Force secretary



WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is nominating a former assistant defense secretary and House staffer as secretary of the Air Force.

The White House said Thursday that Deborah Lee James is Obama's pick to replace Michael Donley, who retired in June.

If confirmed by the Senate, she would be one of the few women to serve as the senior civilian leader of an armed services branch.

Her nomination comes as the military is dealing with a sexual assault scandal, spending cuts and other challenges.

James works for a defense contractor and has held various positions during a 30-year career in government and the private sector.

Obama says he looks forward to working with James to keep the Air Force the best in the world and keep faith with military personnel and families.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/01/obama-nominates-deborah-lee-james-as-air-force-secretary/#ixzz2auab7Hfw

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U.S. Air Force delays rescue helicopter contract award

Aug 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force has delayed the award of a contract valued at up to $6.8 billion for a new combat search and rescue helicopter program until the first quarter of fiscal year 2014, which begins Oct. 1, spokesman Ed Gulick said.

The expected winner is Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp, after all other potential bidders dropped out of the competition last December.

Gulick said the award date had slipped from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 due to several factors, including time required to complete an independent cost estimate and the impact of government furloughs.

He said an initial delay in the release of the terms of the competition for 112 new helicopters also played a role, but insisted it was not related to the number of bid submitted.

All but one of the contractors expected to bid for the work dropped out last December, effectively ceding the competition to Sikorsky and its key subcontractor, Lockheed Martin Corp

Boeing Co, Textron Inc's Bell Helicopter unit , EADS and Northrop Grumman Corp teamed with AgustaWestland, part of Italy's Finmeccanica SpA, decided to skip the competition after concluding the bidding rules were so narrowly framed that they effectively excluded all but Sikorsky's Black Hawk helicopter from the competition.

The Air Force denies the competition was written to favor Sikorsky, arguing that it wrote the terms of the competition to be as clear as possible with potential bidders about what capabilities the Air Force wanted and could afford.

Frans Jurgens, spokesman for Sikorsky, said the company had received numerous queries from the Air Force during the competition, and looked forward to a contract award.

"During the last several months, Sikorsky has interacted with the Air Force to conduct an extensive evaluation of our CRH proposal. We are ready to begin work building a proven, cost-effective CRH-60 aircraft at the service's convenience," he said.

Dan Spoor, vice president of aviation systems for Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Training business, said Lockheed had spent a fair amount of time responding to queries from the Air Force that are called "evaluation notices."

Asked if the Air Force had changed its process as a result of the other bidders dropping out, Spoor said, "They had the same rigorous process that they've done in the past."

The Air Force has been trying to replace its aging fleet of Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters for many years. In 2006, it picked Boeing's H-47 Chinook helicopter, but the Pentagon canceled the $15 billion contract in 2009 after multiple protests by the losing bidders.

Defense analyst Loren Thompson, with the Lexington Institute, said the Air Force was determined to make sure that this contract award was airtight, after several embarrassing acquisition problems in recent years.

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Pentagon considers cancelling F-35 program, leaked documents suggest

Leaked documents from a Pentagon budget review suggest that the agency is tired of its costly F-35 fighter jets, and has thoughts about cancelling the $391.2 billion program that has already expanded into 10 foreign countries.

Pentagon officials held a briefing on Wednesday in which they mapped out ways to manage the $500 billion in automated budget cuts required over the next decade. A slideshow laid out a number of suggestions and exposed the Pentagon’s frustration with its F-35 jets, which are designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. based out of Bethesda, Md. The agency also suggested scrapping plans for a new stealthy, long-range bomber, attendees of the briefing told Reuters.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke to reporters on Wednesday and indicated that the Pentagon might have to decide between a "much smaller force" and a decade-long "holiday" from modernizing weapons systems and technology.

Pentagon briefing slides indicated that a decision to maintain a larger military "could result in the cancellation of the $392 billion Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 program and a new stealthy, long-range bomber," Reuters reports.

When officials familiar with the budget review leaked the news about the F-35s, the agency tried to downplay its alleged intentions.

The F-35 program is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapon system. A fleet of 2,443 aircraft has an estimated price tag of $391.2 billion, which is up 68 percent from the projected costs measured in 2001. Earlier this year, Air Force Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 program manager, condemned the manufacturer for “trying to squeeze every nickel” out of the Department of Defense.

Although the warplane is the most expensive combat aircraft in history, its quality is lacking. In February, the US military grounded an entire fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters because of a crack found on a turbine blade on one of the jets, marking the fourth time that a fleet was grounded because of manufacturing problems. In April, Bogdan told a Senate committee that he doubted the planes could withstand a sophisticated cyberattack.

But before the sequestration took effect this year, the Pentagon secured several contracts with Lockheed Martin to ensure the continued production and maintenance of the costly F-35s. This week, the Defense Department struck another deal with the company to produce 71 more jet fighters, claiming the costs per aircraft have been reduced by about 4 percent – an insignificant reduction when compared to the 68 percent price increase that has occurred since 2001.

After news broke of the Pentagon’s prospect to cancel the program, officials tried to control the damage of such an alarming statement that runs counter to the claims they publicly make.

"We have gone to great lengths to stress that this review identified, through a rigorous process of strategic modeling, possible decisions we might face, under scenarios we may or may not face in the future," Pentagon Spokesman George Little told Reuters in an email when asked about the slides. "Any suggestion that we're now moving away from key modernization programs as a result of yesterday's discussion of the outcomes of the review would be incorrect.”

An unnamed defense official familiar with the briefing told Reuters that the leaked budget document indicated possibilities for a worst-case scenario. He admitted that the Pentagon considered scrapping the program, but said it was unlikely, since “cancelling the program would be detrimental to our national defense.”

Regardless of the Pentagon’s intent, Congress is responsible for authorizing Department of Defense spending, and has often forced the agency to make costly and unnecessary weapons purchases.

Last year, US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said that the US has no need for new tanks. But even though senior Army officials have repeatedly stated that there is no need to spend half a billion dollars in taxpayer funds on new 70-ton Abrams tanks, lawmakers from both parties have pushed the Pentagon to accept the useless purchases.

Earlier this year, an investigation revealed that lobbying efforts by Northrop Grumman have kept a costly Global Hawk drone flying, despite the Pentagon’s attempt to end the project. A defense authorization bill passed by Congress requires the Air Force to keep flying its Block 30 Global Hawks through at least 2014, which costs taxpayers $260 million per year.

The US spends more money on defense than any other nation, but lawmakers from both parties often insist that the agency continue to buy tanks and keep ships and planes it no longer needs. Although the Pentagon has expressed its frustration with the costly F-35 fighter jets, there is little the agency can do without congressional support.

http://rt.com/

arreter le prog F35  
hagel cherche un coup du pentagone

C-130J for flight at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.


An F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter completed the first in-flight missile launch of an AIM-120 over the Point Mugu Sea test range in California




A C-17 Globemaster III from the 62nd Airlift Wing drops military cargo during the Joint Forcible Entry Exercise on the Nevada Test and Training Range

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USAF and Boeing complete KC-46 critical design review

The US Air Force and Boeing completed a critical design review (CDR) for the KC-46 tanker on 21 August. The milestone was completed one month ahead of the contract schedule, which called for the CDR to be finished by 24 September.

"I'm pleased to report that the design of the KC-46A tanker has been locked down," says Maj Gen John Thompson, the USAF's programme executive officer for tankers.

Boeing and the USAF have been working on component and sub-system design reviews for 10 months to get to this point. With the CDR complete, the KC-46 design is now set and production and testing can proceed.

Manufacture of the first KC-46 tanker is already underway. Boeing began assembling the wing for the first aircraft on 26 June. Flight testing of the basic Boeing 767-2C airframe, which will later be reconfigured into the KC-46, is scheduled to begin in mid-2014. The first fully-equipped KC-46 tanker is projected to fly in early 2015, according to the USAF.

Boeing is contracted to build four test aircraft and deliver 18 combat-ready tankers by August 2017. If the USAF exercises all of its options, the service will buy a total of 179 of the aircraft, which are expected to be delivered by 2028. The KC-46 is expected to replace a portion of the USAF's aged Boeing KC-135 tanker fleet.

http://www.flightglobal.com