US Air Force - USAF

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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

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 24 Oct 2013 - 23:33

Citation :: Air Force to buy 24 late-model Reaper hunter-killer UAVs under terms of $377.4 million contract

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 21 Oct. 2013. U.S. Air Force officials are buying 24 MQ-9 Block 5 Reaper armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. in Poway, Calif., under terms of a $377.4 million contract announced Friday.
Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are awarding the contract, which includes 24 Reaper UAVs, shipping containers, spare parts, and support equipment. Although announced on Friday, the contract was awarded on 15 Oct. during the government shutdown.
The MQ-9 Reaper hunter-killer UAV, which at one time was known as the Predator B, is a remote-control or autonomous UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. It is larger, heavier, and more capable than the earlier MQ-1 Predator, although it can be controlled by Predator same ground-control stations.
The Reaper has a 950-shaft-horsepower turboprop engine, and can carry 15 times more ordnance payload than the Predator, and can cruise at almost three times the Predator’s speed.
The Reaper UAV has seven hardpoints for weapons, and can carry two 1,500-pound weapons on its inboard weapon stations; two 750-pound weapons on its middle stations, and two 150-pound weapons on its outboard stations.
The Reaper can carry as many as 14 AGM-114 Hellfire air to ground missiles can be carried or four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs. The UAV also can carry the 500-pound GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).
The Reaper Block 5 UAV has increased electrical power, secure communications, auto land, increased gross takeoff weight, weapons growth, and streamlined payload integration. It has a high-capacity starter generator to accommodate growth.
The Block 5 Reaper also can accommodate dual ARC-210 VHF/UHF radios with wingtip antennas; secure data links; and an increased data transmission capacity.

http://www.suasnews.com/2013/10/25674/air-force-to-buy-24-late-model-reaper-hunter-killer-uavs-under-terms-of-377-4-million-contract/

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Ven 25 Oct 2013 - 16:57

Citation :: USAF announces departure from Manas air base

The US Air Force (USAF) has formally announced that it is leaving its base in Kyrgyzstan and relocating some of its operations to Romania.
The Kyrgyzstan government notified the United States in June that it would have to leave the base, known formally as the Transit Center at Manas International Airport (TCM), when the lease agreement ends in July 2014.
The Kyrgyzstan government, under apparent Russian pressure, tried to evict the Americans in 2009, but the United States was able to renegotiate the lease agreement at a higher price (USD60 million per year, up from roughly USD17 million).
The USAF's 376th Air Expeditionary Wing uses Manas to process nearly all of its troops entering and leaving Afghanistan.

http://www.janes.com/article/28519/usaf-announces-departure-from-manas-air-base

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Dim 27 Oct 2013 - 14:30

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 28 Oct 2013 - 21:39

Citation :: US Military's Airship Programs Lose Altitude

WASHINGTON — The US military has invested billions in blimp-like aircraft to track militants planting roadside bombs but the spyship experiment is losing altitude because of technical failures and changing priorities.
The lighter-than-air projects were billed as an innovative revival of an old aircraft design to conduct “unblinking” surveillance on the battlefield — at a fraction of the cost of fuel-guzzling planes or helicopters.
The Pentagon invested $7 billion in airship programs between 2007 and 2012, but the funding has mostly dried up amid budget cuts and embarrassing setbacks.
Tethered balloons equipped with radar have been used routinely for surveillance by US forces over the past decade and are a common sight floating over American bases in Afghanistan.
But the big money went towards airships, which are a step up from the “aerostats” held by ropes. The airships fly on their own power similar to the zeppelins of the World War I era, while carrying more technology on board.
The most ambitious project was the Army’s massive, unmanned airship, the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), which was launched in 2010 with plans to deploy the craft to Afghanistan within 18 months.
The LEMV, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, was supposed to be equipped with sensors that could track enemy mortar rounds, withstand small arms fire with special material and also serve as a cargo ship that could handle up to 20 tons of supplies.
Northrop Vice President Brad Metzger promised it would “redefine persistent surveillance.”
After falling behind schedule, the 300-foot-long (90 meters) airship ran into major trouble after its first flight at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey in August 2012.
It turned out to be 12,000 pounds (5,400 kilograms) overweight because of problems with its tailfins and other systems, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the US Congress.
The weight problem meant that the craft could not stay in the air for three weeks as planned at an altitude of 20,000 feet, but only for four to five days.
After the first test, there was a post-flight review and engineers came with up “with a long list of things that needed to be repaired,” said John Cummings, an Army spokesman.
Facing daunting technical hurdles, along with a reduced appetite for surveillance in Afghanistan amid a troop drawdown, the Army decided to scrap the program after spending an estimated $294 million.
For critics, the program’s short-lived, expensive history seemed to embody everything wrong with the Pentagon’s bureaucracy. But officials said the concept was promising and the results simply were not up to expectations.
“This was a very interesting program. We are all disappointed it didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” Cummings said.
The US Air Force pursued its own helium-filled spyship, the Blue Devil 2, that was supposed to hover over battlefields for days, equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and cameras.
The Blue Devil 2 suffered similar problems as the Army’s project, missing deadlines and failing technical thresholds.
Like the LEMV, the Blue Devil’s tailfins were far too heavy, so heavy in fact that the airship could not fly, according to the GAO. There also were problems with flight control software.
After spending about $115 million, the Air Force called off the Blue Devil program in June 2012.
Other airships have flunked their flight tests.
The HALE-D, or high-altitude airship demonstrator, crashed on its first flight in July 2011, causing the destruction of its solar cells. In 2010, the solar-powered HiSentinel airship had a propulsion system failure after eight hours of a scheduled 24-hour flight.
A more modest Navy project, the MZ-3A research airship, has survived and is used to test sensors for the military and other government agencies.
The Navy calls it a “flying laboratory” that offers a “slow moving, vibration free” way to test out sensors designed for various aircraft.
As for the Army’s failed giant airship, the Defense Department tried to sell the LEMV for $44 million. Last month, it settled for a modest $301,000, officials said.
Under the terms of the sale, Cummings said that if the airship’s new owners “fly it again, we would be provided with data from their flights.”

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131027/DEFREG02/310270005/US-Military-s-Airship-Programs-Lose-Altitude?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 30 Oct 2013 - 10:49

Citation :: Raytheon, US Air Force complete series of SDB II test flights

TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and the U.S. Air Force concluded a series of test flights with the Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) culminating in direct hits on targets moving at operationally representative speeds.

Earlier supporting tests were performed in a multitude of different environments and scenarios, key to maturing seeker algorithms and validating the weapon's aerodynamic performance. All test flights helped reinforce the system's capability to satisfy a critical warfighter need.

"These successes are the latest in a series of test flights demonstrating Raytheon's readiness to progress the SDB II program to the System Verification Review and Milestone C," said John O'Brien, SDB II program director for Raytheon Missile Systems. "These tests showcase the game-changing capability of Raytheon's tri-mode seeker to detect, track and engage moving targets in adverse weather."

SDB II can hit targets from a range of more 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 through a datalink that passes inflight updates to the weapon.

About SDB II
SDB II employs Raytheon's uncooled tri-mode seeker. The new seeker operates in three modes: millimeter-wave radar, uncooled imaging infrared and semiactive laser. These three modes enable the weapon to seek and destroy targets, even in adverse weather conditions from standoff ranges. SDB II's integrated seeker is built in Raytheon's automated tri-mode seeker factory.

The Department of Defense has validated SDB II as a weapon that meets a critical warfighter need and has invested more than $700 million in the SDB II program.

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com

Citation :: Lockheed Martin Receives $113 Million Contract for U.S. Air Force Helicopter Search and Rescue Training Simulators

LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 29, 2013 – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $113 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to design, develop, field and sustain aircrew training devices for HH-60G Pave Hawk search and rescue helicopters.

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will deliver eight HH-60G training simulators, spares and logistics support to the U.S. Air Force as part of the Pave Hawk Equivalent Distributive Repeatable Operative Simulators (PEDROS) trainer program. The simulators will be used to prepare aircrews for the full spectrum of personnel recovery, including combat search and rescue missions in multiple environments.

“PEDROS brings a unique deployable training and simulation capability directly to the aviation warfighter,” said Monty Watson, director of aviation programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “We are leveraging manufacturing and logistics support from our Missiles and Fire Control business, as well as design expertise from our Mission Systems and Training business, to support the PEDROS training program.”

The HH-60G PEDROS simulator will be embedded with aircrew squadrons, giving them increased access to training and simulation scenarios, improving aircrew readiness and eliminating the need to travel to training facilities. The simulator reduces aircraft maintenance costs, saves flight hours and includes software upgrades and enhancements that increase speed and capability. It is also re-locatable to support long-term deployments.

“Lockheed Martin has a legacy of delivering mission simulation and training systems for H-60 aircraft, including U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force special operations helicopters and Air Force combat rescue helicopters,” said Vic Torla, business development director for training solutions at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training. “The new HH-60G PEDROS simulators will provide affordable, on-site training options to keep aircrews certified and aircraft available for missions.”

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

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US Air Force - USAF - Page 38 Star3

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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 31 Oct 2013 - 21:48

Citation :: Un Predator s’écrase au Nouveau-Mexique

Un drone MQ-1B Predator de l’US Air Force s’est écrasé hier près de la AFB d’Holloman, au Nouveau-Mexique. L’appareil appartenait au 6ème escadron de reconnaissance et effectuait une mission d’entraînement de routine. Les causes de l’incident sont pour l’instant inconnues.

http://www.journal-aviation.com/actualites/detail-article-new.php?ID=24761

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Ven 1 Nov 2013 - 15:29

Citation :: Publiée le 1 nov. 2013

Raytheon Company and the U.S. Air Force concluded a series of test flights with the Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) culminating in direct hits on targets moving at operationally representative speeds. SDB II can hit targets from a range of more than 40 nautical miles.

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 6 Nov 2013 - 18:44

Citation :: http://www.liberation.fr/monde/2013/11/06/les-etats-unis-se-lancent-dans-un-programme-de-modernisation-nucleaire_945010

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US Air Force - USAF - Page 38 4cdc5300-4889-4be3-9a10-1fb0c573da7d

"Les belles idées n'ont pas d'âge, elles ont seulement de l'avenir"

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 7 Nov 2013 - 16:20

Citation :: 07/11/2013

Le B-52 encore plus agressif !

OKLAHOMA CITY, Boeing va continuer à augmenter l'efficacité et la polyvalence du bombardier B-52 en vertu d'un nouveau contrat de l'US Air Force. L’objectif concerne l’accroissement de l’emport d’armes intelligentes de l’ordre de 50%. Le contrat est estimé à 24,6 millions de dollars,

Boeing va s’employer à modifier les lanceurs d'armes existantes en soute, afin de permettre l’usage d’armes à guidage automatique en phase terminale. Pour l’US Air Force l’intérêt consiste à allié le temps de vol particulièrement long du B-52 avec la capacité de disposer d’un système d'armes efficace et polyvalent. Cette extension de capacité d'armes se joint au programme CONECT, qui concerne la mise à niveau globale des systèmes de communication en cours d'installation sur la flotte de B-52.

Boeing va mettre au point trois lanceurs prototypes pour des évaluations. Le programme prévoit que les premiers B-52 puissent recevoir le nouvel équipement à partir du printemps 2016. Les B-52 seront alors capables de transporter 24’500 livres de munition de type Joint Direct Attack (JDAM) ou 20 JDAM de 2000 livres. Les phases ultérieures permettront d’ajouter l’antimissile ainsi que des engins Air-to-Surface Standoff, (JASSM) et sa variante de longue portée (JASSM-ER).

Photo : Boeing B-52 @ USAF

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2013/11/07/le-b-52-encore-plus-agressif-854294.html

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 7 Nov 2013 - 16:38

le pod litening est presque invisible sous ce monstre

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US Air Force - USAF - Page 38 A10-na10

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Sam 9 Nov 2013 - 23:57

Citation :: Two Million Flying Hours

It took sixteen years for the Remotely Piloted Aircraft community to reach one million flight hours. A short two and a half years later, the RPA is celebrating again with its two millionth hour on the job.The US Air Force’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft fleet reaches a milestone of 2 million flying hours with help from Airmen on Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

http://www.uasvision.com/2013/11/08/two-million-flying-hours/#more-28124

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 13 Nov 2013 - 20:17

a écrit:

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Jeu 14 Nov 2013 - 21:15

Citation :: Trois RQ-4 Global Hawk en construction

Un nouveau contrat de 114 millions de dollars a été signé.
L’US Air Force et Northrop Grumman viennent de conclure un nouveau contrat portant sur la fourniture de trois drones HALE RQ-4 pour un montant de 114 millions de dollars. Il s’agit de drones RQ-4 Block 30.
Le contrat inclut l’installation de trois nouveaux systèmes de traitement du signal (ASIP) et deux autres kits qui pourront équiper les actuels RQ-4 en service de l’USAF qui vont être rénovés. L’ensemble de ces livraisons et de ces rénovations doit être achevé en 2015.
Le Global Hawk ne sert pas uniquement aux missions ISR. L’engin a déjà servi à la NASA pour nourrir des bases de données dans le cadre de recherches scientifiques. Il a également survolé deux ouragans dans l’océan atlantique au mois de septembre dernier, il peut évoluer jusqu’à une altitude de 18 000 mètres.
© USAF

http://www.infosdefense.com/trois-rq-4-global-hawk-en-construction-71039/

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 18 Nov 2013 - 21:44

Citation :: A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flies at the “Legacy of Liberty” open house and air show at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M

A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber maintains a steady descent and departure after a successful mid-air refueling with a KC-135R Stratotanker over Colorado

Crew chiefs from the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 131st Bomb Wing perform a phase inspection on a B-2 Spirit at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

A B-2 Spirit approaches the boom of a KC-10A Extender during an orientation flight.

In 2008, the 131st Bomb Wing achieved a milestone by completing the first B-2 sortie flown and launched by Missouri Air National Guard personnel from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

The Northrup Grumman B-2 Stealth “Spirit of Pennsylvania” becomes the first B-2 to land at Lambert Air National Guard Base, Sept. 9, 2006.

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mar 19 Nov 2013 - 11:31

Citation :: U-2 modifications reduce decompression sickness

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) -- Air Force pilots flying the "Dragon Lady" no longer experience decompression sickness during their high-altitude flights, according to officials with the U-2 Program Office here.

Commonly referred to as DCS, decompression sickness is caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood and tissue following a sudden drop of air pressure.

For U-2 pilots, who routinely fly missions above 70,000 feet, this has been a major concern.

"Our pilots were seeing an increased number of DCS incidents due to long missions," said Col. Fred Kennedy, the Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division chief. "Air Force senior leaders became aware of the problem, and made fixing it their No. 1 priority for our program."

The fix -- dubbed the Cabin Altitude Reduction Effort, or CARE, program -- beefs up the U-2's structure, replaces the legacy cockpit pressure regulator and safety valve, and includes modifications to the engine bleed schedule. That permits engineers to nearly double the cockpit pressure experienced by a U-2 pilot, from 4.4 pounds per square inch to more than 8 psi.

"What our folks have done is to drop the apparent altitude in the cockpit from 29,500 feet to 15,000 feet - roughly the difference between Mount Everest and Pikes Peak (Colo.)," Kennedy said. " CARE basically eliminates the risk of DCS and allows our U-2 pilots -- who might otherwise have been removed from flying status -- to keep flying."

A total of 27 U-2 airframes have been outfitted with CARE, ahead of schedule and under cost. The total outlay for the program was $8.7 million, officials said.

To date, there have been no reported DCS incidents since the modifications.

"This is a big deal for the U-2 community," Kennedy said. "Healthy pilots mean more missions and more extraordinary ISR capability for our warfighters."

www.af.mi

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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 20 Nov 2013 - 22:39

Citation :: USAF Cancels Quest for C-17 Engine Sustainment

WASHINGTON — The US Air Force has canceled an open solicitation for sustainment work on the F117 engines that power the service’s C-17 transport fleet.
“The Air Force issued a competitive solicitation for F117 (C-17) engine sustainment in 2013, based on rigorous market research into industry capabilities to provide both engine overhaul and supply chain management,” Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick wrote in a press release announcing the decision. “The Air Force anticipated significant savings and preferred terms and conditions to be derived from the competition. Unfortunately, no viable offers were received.
“As a good steward of taxpayer dollars, the Air Force cannot justify continuing the acquisition and is canceling the existing F117 engine sustainment solicitations,” the statement continued. “We will be revisiting the strategy to develop an affordable approach to achieve both the near- and long-term goals of the Air Force, while ensuring continued war-fighter support for F117 engine sustainment on the existing C-17 Globemaster Integrated Sustainment Partnership until the revised strategy is implemented.”
In response to an inquiry, Gulick said the service has not yet set a timetable for an alternative approach.
The C-17 is powered by four F117-PW-100 jet engines, designed by Pratt & Whitney.
“We remain committed to the continued cost-effective support of our products in the field, and the mission readiness of our customers,” Matthew Bates, Pratt spokesman, wrote in an emailed statement. “For more than 15 years we have successfully met USAF requirements by increasing time on wing for the engines and by reducing life-cycle and operating costs. We will continue to provide dedicated support to the warfighter and maintain our strong partnership with the Air Force for engine overhaul and sustainment.”
A request for proposals (RfP) was issued for the sustainment contract on April 1, soliciting bids on a contract for “sustaining engineering support and technical services, depot supply chain management support, engine program administration support, and data affiliated with the services for the F117-PW-100 engines to maintain serviceable worldwide spare engine levels.”
The work would have occurred over a 21-month period starting in October 2014 and would have included five one-year options that could be picked up by the US government.
It’s been a tough week for the C-17, a large military cargo jet. At the Dubai Air Show, Boeing Defense Space and Security President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg confirmed to reporters that C-17 production will end in 2015.
Muilenburg cited US defense spending cuts through sequestration and uncertainty as part of the reason for the decision.
“We can’t simply continue to keep lines open without clear, long-term production runs,” he said.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131119/DEFREG02/311190030

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Ven 22 Nov 2013 - 11:17

Citation :: Block 40 Global Hawk goes to 'war': USAF

Northrop Grumman’s unmanned RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk has gone to “war” for the first time, according to the US Air Force.

The service announced today that on 19 September a Block 40, which has synthetic-aperture radar and ground-moving target indicators, departed Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota on a mission that marked the “first time this specific model has been deployed into war.”

That comment was made by the 69th Reconnaissance Group’s Col Lawrence Spinetta in an article written by the public affairs division of the air force’s 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks.

The public affairs office declined to say where the aircraft went and did not provide additional details about the flight.

The office adds that the announcement needed to be cleared by high-level defense officials, which is why it was released more than one month after the flight.

Global Hawks can fly 12,300nm (22,780km), and the air force flies them on missions from the US to the Middle East.

“Any time we send a jet out of Grand Forks and 24 hours later it arrives right on center line... in the Middle East, that amazes me,” Spinetta told Flightglobal last week during a media briefing at the base.

“Lack of a manned pilot onboard is a strength,” Spinetta added.

Block 20s, which fly communications relay missions, have been used in Afghanistan to transmit messages over mountains, Spinetta added.

Block 40s have a multi-platform radar technology insertion programme (MP-RTIP), an air-to-surface radar that provides wide-area surveillance of stationary and moving targets, according to Northrop’s website.

The aircraft has a wingspan of 131ft (40m), length of 47.6ft (14.5m) and a gross takeoff weight of 32,250lb (14,628kg), says the manufacturer.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Dim 24 Nov 2013 - 2:57

Citation :: Combat Rescue Helicopter: Air Force Backing Away from Its Bravest Warfighters

After a dozen years of continuous combat in Southwest Asia, the term “warfighter” is in danger of being devalued by our political culture. In our eagerness to honor all those who serve, we make it sound like everybody who dons a military uniform is subject to the same risks, and burdened by the same sacrifices.
It isn’t so. Many so-called warfighters have never deployed to combat zones, and among those who have the dangers vary greatly. The hardest missions are performed by a relative handful of military personnel such as Army Rangers and Navy SEAL teams who routinely risk their lives in the performance of harrowing tasks. One such community of true warfighters is the Air Force’s personnel-recovery specialists, who fly helicopters into harm’s way to rescue endangered combatants and civilians.
With fewer than a hundred helicopters worldwide dedicated to that mission, it is a very small community. But since 9-11, this close-knit band of superbly trained specialists has saved over 5,000 U.S. and allied lives in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility alone, and thousands of additional lives in other places (including storm-ravaged parts of America). During that same period, members of the personnel-recovery community have earned over 2,500 awards for their bravery. They have also seen 20 of their brethren die in combat.
Given the high demand for personnel-recovery services and the impressive performance of those who practice its demanding disciplines, you might surmise that Air Force leaders assign a high priority to keeping this very special community well equipped and ready for action. Well, no such luck: on any given day less than two-thirds of the helicopters in the dwindling personnel-recovery fleet are mission-capable, and this week Defense News reported there is no money budgeted for buying new rotorcraft or extending the lives of those already fielded.
The Air Force says it is committed to the mission. In fact, Acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning said it earlier this week at an Air Force Association breakfast. But when you don’t budget for the revitalization of a fleet that has grown decrepit with age, you are in effect backing away from the mission. So Aaron Mehta and Marcus Weisgerber of Defense News got it right when they wrote in the lead to their story this week that “the U.S. Air Force’s combat search-and-rescue mission is in danger of disappearing.”
Secretary Fanning says planners were asked to come up with ideas for modernizing the helicopters in the 2016 defense budget. That would make it ten years since the service first awarded a contract for replacement of what was already regarded as an aging fleet. Back then, in 2006, combat rescue was rated by Air Force leaders as their number-two modernization priority. Now there is less money to go around because of budget sequestration, and the program’s priority seems to have slipped to number five or six. So why would we assume progress in 2016?
The simple truth is that if we don’t fund a new Combat Rescue Helicopter now, then we aren’t going to do it later because money will remain tight. The composition of the defense budget is shifting away from investment so decisively that there will probably be less money later than there is today. So this is the thanks that some of bravest warfighters in the Air Force get for risking their lives on a weekly basis in godforsaken places like Anbar Province. We can’t afford to buy you safer helicopters, and we can’t afford to equip you for the rigors of saving lives tomorrow.
Someday, maybe someday soon, real warfighters are going to die because of the delay in replacing personnel-recovery helicopters. When that day comes, everybody in Washington will rush to praise the sacrifices of those who have fallen. Wouldn’t it make more sense to rearrange our priorities today so that they don’t have to die?

http://www.defencetalk.com/combat-rescue-helicopter-air-force-backing-away-from-its-bravest-warfighters-49707/#ixzz2lWYbjuoM

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Dim 24 Nov 2013 - 3:06

a écrit:: These are some of the coolest A-10 Warthog air-to-air, in action photos ever

Even if the fleet of 350 “Boars” is essential to conduct Close Air Support (CAS) missions in Afghanistan and in any other low intensity conflict the U.S. may be called to fight in the future, the Air Force has a plan to prematurely retire all its A-10 Warthog aircraft between 2015 and 2018.

While some senators and congressmen are fighting back against this decision, the future of the American troops in theater will be tied to the effectiveness, reliability and capabilities of the F-35, that is going to replace the A-10 in the air-to-surface, Troops-In-Contact (TIC) role.

In the meanwhile, Warthog aircrews continue to train, even though the training pipeline for pilots destined to this type of aircraft has already been scaled back.

The images in this post, taken by Jim Haseltine and made available by the Air Force, show A-10C Thunderbolt II “Warthogs” with the 188th Fighter Wing, Arkansas Air National Guard conduct close-air support training near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

The A-10 can carry AGM-65 Maverick missiles, Snakeye bombs, Paveway LGB (Laser Guided Bombs) but their main weapon is the GAU-8 Avenger, a 30 mm rotary cannon, the heaviest such cannon mounted on a fast jet.

How many aircraft can fly low and hit hard employing such variety of guided and unguided weapons?

http://theaviationist.com/

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Dim 24 Nov 2013 - 20:23

Exercise Beverly Bulldog 14-01
US Air Force - USAF - Page 38 1183

PHOTOS:

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 25 Nov 2013 - 1:12

a écrit:: Three generations of US military aviation flying in formation

B-52 au roulage

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Lun 25 Nov 2013 - 15:38

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US Air Force - USAF - Page 38 Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres US Air Force - USAF - Page 38 Star3

Sujet: Re: US Air Force - USAF Mer 27 Nov 2013 - 17:59

Citation :: Des B-52 américains ont pénétré dans la zone de défense aérienne chinoise

WASHINGTON - Deux bombardiers américains B-52 ont pénétré dans la zone controversée de défense aérienne mise en place par la Chine, sans en référer à Pékin, ont indiqué des responsables américains mardi.

Les avions, qui n'embarquaient aucune arme, ont décollé de l'île de Guam dans le Pacifique lundi.

La nuit dernière nous avons mené un exercice prévu de longue date au cours duquel deux appareils ont décollé de Guam pour retourner à Guam, un territoire rattaché aux Etats-Unis, a expliqué à la presse le colonel Steve Warren, un porte-parole du Pentagone.

Aucun plan de vol n'a été déposé au préalable auprès de la Chine et la mission s'est déroulée sans incident. Les deux avions sont restés moins d'une heure dans la zone aérienne d'identification décrétée unilatéralement par Pékin et que Washington qualifie d'incendiaire, a poursuivi le colonel Warren.

Un responsable du Pentagone a confirmé à l'AFP sous couvert d'anonymat que les deux appareils étaient des B-52.

La zone aérienne d'identification a été décrétée samedi par la Chine au-dessus de la mer de Chine orientale, malgré l'opposition du gouvernement japonais. Cette zone englobe notamment un petit archipel contrôlé par Tokyo, les îles Senkaku, mais fermement revendiqué par Pékin sous le nom de Diaoyu.

La Chine exige désormais que tout appareil s'aventurant dans cette zone fournisse au préalable son plan de vol précis, affiche clairement sa nationalité et maintienne des communications radio permettant de répondre de façon rapide et appropriée aux requêtes d'identification des autorités chinoises, sous peine d'intervention des forces armées.

Les autorités japonaises ont immédiatement répliqué que cette zone n'avait aucune validité.

Le ton est très nettement monté lundi entre Tokyo et Pékin, chacun convoquant l'ambassadeur de l'autre, suite à la décision chinoise d'imposer cette zone de contrôle aérien.

Le même jour, la présidence américaine avait qualifié la mesure chinoise d'incendiaire.

(©AFP / 26 novembre 2013 19h03)

http://www.romandie.com/news/n/_Des_B_52_americains_ont_penetre_dans_la_zone_de_defense_aerienne_chinoise__RP_261120131924-24-423334.asp

Citation :: "00000000"voici le code de lancement des missiles nuke us
http://www.rtbf.be/info/etcetera/detail_00000000-voici-le-code-de-lancement-des-missiles-nucleaires-americains?id=8147952

Aller je suis sympa aujourd'hui, je vous file un secret défense

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"Les belles idées n'ont pas d'âge, elles ont seulement de l'avenir"

Citation :: USAF Awards Aerojet Rocketdyne a Medium Class Stage III Demonstration Contract

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 2, 2013 – Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that it has been awarded a contract under the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center Propulsion Applications Program (PAP) to demonstrate a Medium Class Stage III motor with propulsion technologies that are applicable to multiple future common strategic propulsion systems.

The contract includes development, fabrication and demonstration of a full-scale motor that is designed to replace the aging SR-73 third stage motors in the current Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. A full scale static test of the motor including thrust termination demonstration is planned.

“This is an important win for Aerojet Rocketdyne,” said Aerojet Rocketdyne Vice President of Missile Defense and Strategic Systems, Michael Bright. “It helps maintain critical industrial base capability in solid rocket motor design and development, and provides a cost competitive strategy to sustain the aging Minuteman III missile.”

Over the last decade, Aerojet Rocketdyne and the Air Force (AF) have successfully demonstrated the concept of Minuteman III modernization using sustainable, affordable propulsion through prior PAP contract activities. This new program will leverage these prior accomplishments to provide a direct replacement solution option for the currently fielded Minuteman III stage III motors. The program will also help sustain the U.S. solid rocket motor industrial base, by employing common, domestically sourced components and materials, and a carbon fiber/resin system for the composite case. Work will be performed at Aerojet Rocketdyne's facilities in Sacramento, Calif.; Clearfield, Utah, and Gainesville, Va.

The primary objective of PAP is to provide a family of affordable, sustainable motors that can support a wide range of potential AF solutions, including modernizing or replacing Minuteman III. Aerojet Rocketdyne's approach also is applicable to other critical Department of Defense missions such as increased-realism threat targets for the Missile Defense Agency's missile defense systems testing.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. GenCorp is a diversified company providing innovative solutions to its customers in the aerospace and defense, energy and real estate markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at www.Rocket.com and www.GenCorp.com.

http://www.rocket.com

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Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres US Air Force - USAF - Page 38 Star3

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