Current Events in the Americas

CV32: The failure of this entire program is a rather sad state of affairs. Fraud, if borne out, will only add to the misery. From gCaptain [excerpt]

From Defense Aerospace The Pentagon, JSF and the Sacrificial Goat (Source: defense-aerospace.com; published June 5, 2008) By Giovanni de Briganti PARIS –-- The Senate Armed Services Committee’s June 3 hearing on the cost of Pentagon weapon programs has thrown up a couple of nuggets that demonstrate just how politically vulnerable the Joint Strike Fighter program has become. In his opening statement , SASC Chairman Carl Levin quoted a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which estimated that recent cost overruns on the Pentagon’s 95 major weapons programs amount to $295 billion. To put that figure into perspective, Levin said, “For $295 bi…

Navy Axes Griffin Missile In Favor of Longbow Hellfire for LCS (USNI News)

From ARES JSF Secrets to Stay Secret Posted by David A. Fulghum at 2/10/2009 4:09 PM CST Nobody is going to be allowed to play around with the software that controls the F-35’s electronic warfare package. After a long period of obtuse answers about whether foreign customers would be able to put their own systems in F-35 or customize the software themselves, the issue has been clarified. “No,” says Maj. Gen. Charles Davis, program executive officers of the Joint Strike Fighter program. The super-classified software allows electronic surveillance, detection, identification, self-defense and attack. A software-run techniques generator also will be able to se…

From Flight International DATE:24/08/07 SOURCE:Flight International Lockheed tackles JSF power deficit By Stephen Trimble A shortage of electrical power on board the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has forced Lockheed Martin to launch a redesign of two key subsystems, even as flight tests are set to resume within the next few weeks. Lockheed engineers discovered in laboratory tests in late 2006 that the F-35C will need 33% more power than its on-board generator can provide. The aircraft's flight-control surfaces are powered by electro-hydrostatic actuators and the electrical system has to meet the condition when all the controls demand p…

The big day is here ... but I guess, more important, is what happens next ... From Aviation Week Aerospace, Defense See Tight Electoral Races Nov 4, 2008 John M. Doyle There's more at stake in the Nov. 4 U.S. elections than control of the White House, with a number of top congressional leaders fighting to keep their seats while Democrats seek a veto-proof majority in the Senate and even wider control in the House of Representatives. Some previously safe seats, such as that of Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), have lately come into play. Chambliss, a member of the Armed Services Committee who has been a champion of Lockheed Martin's F-22 stealth fighter - man…

From AviationWeek Navy Details New Super Hornet Capabilities By David A. Fulghum With Douglas Barrie in London. The U.S. Navy's "Advanced Super Hornet" will tie together an electronic attack system with a powerful new radar that would allow the aircraft to find, deceive and, perhaps, disable sophisticated, radar-guided air-to-air, surface-to-air and cruise missiles. Moreover, it could do so at ranges greater than that of new U.S. air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Silence about these key features of the Super Hornet's advanced radar and integrated sensor package is being broken by U.S. Navy and aerospace industry officials just as the President's budget f…

From Air Force Times Where might next-gen aircraft be headed? Staff report Posted : Wednesday Jan 16, 2008 10:46:47 EST The Air Force chief of staff has released the “roadmap” for the Air Force’s future, detailing which bases are in the running to house the service’s next-generation aircraft. Gen. T. Michael Moseley’s outline of future forces is the result of meetings with top leaders from the regular Air Force, the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve in December, according to an Air Force press release. The preliminary lists generally follow present assignments: Bases hosting F-16s are in the running for the F-35, and the potential bed-down sit…

From Air Force Times Final mission for venerable MH-53 By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer Posted : Wednesday Oct 1, 2008 15:54:37 EDT Born from a helicopter designed to pluck aircrews out of the jungles of Vietnam, the MH-53 Pave Low will die just like it was born — in combat. The storied heavy-lift helicopter was to fly its last mission Sept. 30 in Iraq. Details on when and where the last flight happened are minimal since it likely carried special operators to assault an enemy target, said Maj. Derrick Stamos, 20th Special Operations Squadron assistant director of operations. The Air Force has gradually phased out the Pave Low after service leaders d…

From Flight Global USAF sets 2013 entry for extended-range JASSM By John Croft The US Air Force says it will be ready to deploy the extended-range version of its Lockheed Martin-built AGM-158 joint air-to-surface stand-off missile (JASSM) in the second half of 2013. Using larger fuel tanks and a more efficient Williams International F107-WR-105 turbofan engine, rather than the Teledyne CAE J402-CA-100 turbojet, the JASSM ER (AGM-158B) will have a range of more than 926km (500nm), up from 370km for the original missile. The AGM-158 entered service in 1999 and has not been used in combat to date. Lockheed in April rolled out the 1,000th JASSM round from its…

From Air Force Times Design flaw puts F-22s in shop for repairs The Associated Press Posted : Monday Oct 22, 2007 8:15:34 EDT SALT LAKE CITY — The Air Force is speeding up its timeline for bringing the F-22 Raptor to Hill Air Force Base for repairs after a design flaw that military officials have known about for years has reappeared. The problem with the Air Force’s newest fighter jet is that the composition of some mechanical access panels makes the Raptor susceptible to corrosion. Military officials changed the design to fix the problem, but it is back and about two-thirds of the military’s fleet of the planes is suffering from corrosion. “So the world…

From Air Force Times Service may buy more Raptors By Gayle S. Putrich - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Feb 13, 2007 6:31:11 EST MARIETTA, Ga. — As Lockheed Martin officials handed over the ceremonial keys to the Air Force Pacific Command’s first F-22 Raptor, the service’s No. 2 official said the Air Force is looking at funding plans for buying more than the planned 183 stealth fighters. The 2007 budget contains multi-year funding for the last 60 planned Raptors, including construction funds for 2007 and advance procurement money through 2009. The president’s 2008 budget proposal includes $281.9 million for the F-22 program. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff G…

From Time Magazine's Battleland blog [excerpt]

I had the chance to try an HCDB scenario with these vessels. It was quite cool to see them simulated. Being nearly invisible was a huge advantage.

If you don't love the F-22 Raptor, here are all of Dr Kopp's reasons why you should ... Why America Needs More F-22 Raptors (I do not necessarily endorse all of the conclusions, but post it for your information just the same).

From Air Force Times ‘The Airman’s Creed’ issued By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Apr 19, 2007 9:10:30 EDT Through 60 years of flying and fighting, there has been something missing from Air Force tradition — an official creed for airmen. This week that changed. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley are issuing “The Airman’s Creed” as part of wider range of initiatives to encourage a “warrior ethos” in airmen. “When you look at our new Air Force creed and you say; ‘I am an American airman. I am a warrior. I have answered my nation’s call’ — imagine at basic military tra…

From DefenseNews Posted 03/28/07 18:15 Lawmakers Offer Ships That U.S. Navy Is Reluctant To Accept By WILLIAM MATTHEWS Some in the U.S. House of Representatives want to buy the Navy 12 new ships next year, not just the seven the service requested in the 2008 budget proposal. But when asked by appropriators in the Senate “what number is prudent,” the Navy’s top officer suggested maybe eight. After complaining for years that its fleet is shrinking and that its shipbuilding budget isn’t big enough, the Navy finds itself in the awkward position of having to turn down an opportunity to dramatically increase shipbuilding. One problem is that U.S. shipyards would be…

From Aviation Week Dual Sourcing Tanker Unfeasible, Wynne Says Sep 20, 2007 By Michael Bruno/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said Sept. 19 that the service cannot afford to split the acquisition of its next fleet of aerial refueling tankers between Boeing and Northrop Grumman bids because of expected annual orders. "We still think we can't afford it," Wynne told a briefing organized by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments on Capitol Hill. "If we have to buy seven-and-a-half [annually] from each company, we're in trouble." The Air Force plans to spend about $3 billion per year on recapitalizing the agin…

CV32: Interesting take on a perceived shift in priorities in the US DoD/budget ... From Defense Program Begins to Swing Back Towards "High-End" Conflicts

From Navy Times Stennis group returning from deployment By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Aug 21, 2007 18:09:34 EDT SAN DIEGO — More than 5,500 sailors and Marines are heading home after a nearly eight-month deployment to the Persian Gulf. The aircraft carrier John C. Stennis and several ships of its strike group are scheduled to arrive in San Diego on Monday, Aug. 27, where the massive flattop will unload part of its carrier air wing, Navy officials said Tuesday. The Stennis, a Bremerton, Wash.-based carrier, spent most of the spring and summer operating in the Gulf region, supporting combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and maritime …