Current Events in the Americas

Navy Declares Initial Operational Capability for New Rolling Airframe Missile (Seapower) It would be nice to add this throughout the HCDB, but unfortunately we don't have the room.

From Defense Aerospace Langley Celebrates Raptor's Initial Operational Capability (Source: US Air Force; issued Jan. 13, 2006) LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --- The 1st Fighter Wing held a ceremony here today to celebrate the F-22A Raptor's initial operational capability. The event comes after the 27th Fighter Squadron was officially declared IOC on Dec. 15 by Gen. Ronald E. Keys, commander of Air Combat Command. The IOC declaration proves the F-22A is mission ready. The base now has 19 Raptors. The 27th FS -- the Air Force's oldest fighter squadron -- is now the first operational unit to fly the service's newest fighter aircraft. "This next…

From Air Force Times Raptor funding switch raises concern By Erik Holmes - Staff writer Posted : Monday Jul 30, 2007 19:06:20 EDT The Air Force is worried that the House Appropriations Committee’s decision last week to strip $364 million from the service’s F-22 modernization program and redirect it to the permanent change of station account will cause delays and cost overruns to the F-22 program. An Air Force official said Monday that the service will appeal Congress’ decision. “The F-22A program is currently assessing the impacts,” the official said, “and anticipates the proposed cut would drive significant program restructure, cost increases and schedu…

Defense Today February 9, 2006 Pg. 2 Henry: Raptor Is Needed, But Should Be Cut Rather Than JSF By Dave Ahearn The Air Force needs the F-22A Raptor supersonic stealth aircraft to provide air dominance, but cutting the number of Raptors to 183 from an Air Force request for 381 makes more sense than cutting the numbers of future F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. So said Ryan Henry, principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy, speaking to journalists at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. During a periodic Pentagon assessment of long-range needs, ranging from personnel strength to weapons platform procurement, the study found that the…

From Air Force Times Raptor has first encounter with Russians By Erik Holmes - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Dec 27, 2007 20:46:10 EST The F-22 Raptor, the Air Force’s newest operational fighter jet, had its first encounter with Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska on Thanksgiving Day. Two Raptors from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, scrambled to identify and escort two Russian Bear-H bombers as they approached Alaskan airspace Nov. 22, said Maj. Allen Herritage, a spokesman for the Alaska region of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. It marked the first time a Raptor has intercepted unknown aircraft…

From ACC Public Affairs Raptors wield 'unfair' advantage at Red Flag by By Tech. Sgt. Russell Wicke Air Combat Command Public Affairs 2/21/2007 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (ACCNS) -- "Undercover" is an understatement for the F-22A Raptor. A point clearly illustrated by pilots of the 94th Fighter Squadron, who delivered an aerial sucker punch to the seasoned Red Force opponents during the F-22A's debut at Red Flag here Feb. 3 -16. Among the Blue Force participants were foreign pilots from the Royal Air Force of England and Royal Australian Air Force, flying the GR-4 and F-111C respectively. In addition, the F-22s flew with the B-2 Spirit and F-117 Ni…

Drool ... From Flight International DATE: 28/04/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com Raytheon lifts veil on ramjet-powered HARM By Stephen Trimble Raytheon today unveiled a new concept for revolutionizing the accuracy, range, speed and perhaps even the mission of the quarter-century-old AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missile (HARM). The concept replaces the AGM-88’s dual-thrust rocket motor with a dramatically more powerful ramjet engine. Guidance is also upgraded with satellite-based navigation, fiber-optic gyroscopes and new software. The new weapon could boost Raytheon’s competitive fortunes against a US Navy-sponsored upgrade: the Alliant Techsystems…

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-raytheon-takes-aim-at-lockheeds-lrasm-387510/ (Flight Global) So, what should replace Harpoon? LRASM (aka JASSM-ER) or JSOW-ER? Or something else? Or is a replacement even necessary?

Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) June 12, 2007 Raytheon Tomahawk Might Replace Errant Lockheed Missile By Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News Raytheon Co.'s Tomahawk cruise missile is being eyed as a possible replacement for a Lockheed Martin Corp. missile program that was given 30 days to demonstrate it has a plan to improve reliability, said Diane Wright, the Pentagon's deputy director for air warfare. The Lockheed missile costs about $649,000 and is launched from planes. The latest Tomahawk, made at Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems, costs $972,000 on average and can be launched only from ships and submarines. Wright said the Pentagon might explore wheth…

Reactivation Creates Wing For Remotely Controlled Planes Ceremony at Creech Air Force Base signals step in spy warfare By Keith Rogers, Review-Journal INDIAN SPRINGS -- Air Force leaders set a new mark in military history Tuesday by creating the nation's first combat wing for remotely piloted spy planes at their base here, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas. In a ceremony attended by hundreds of airmen at Creech Air Force Base, Lt. Gen. Norman R. Seip reactivated the 432nd Wing. The unit has roots dating back to World War II and now consists of six operations squadrons and a maintenance squadron for the Air Force fleet of 60 MQ-1 Predator and six MQ-9 Reaper …

Reading secret USAF bomber, ISR plans (Aviation Week)

From Navy Times January 04, 2006 Reagan begins first operational deployment By Gidget Fuentes Times staff writer CORONADO, Calif. — As scores of relatives and friends looked on, huddled in the morning chill, the nuclear carrier Ronald Reagan pulled from the pier Wednesday and began its first operational deployment. The carrier, named for the 39th president, actor and former California governor, carried 5,000 Navy officers and sailors as it left San Diego Bay to begin its first operational cruise and lead an 6,500-member strike group to the Western Pacific and certain combat duty in the Persian Gulf. The 1,092-foot-long carrier — whose innovations includ…

From Defence Talk Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group to Surge Deploy US Navy | Jan 25, 2007 SAN DIEGO: USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group (CSG), with more than 5,000 sailors, will surge deploy Jan. 27, while USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) undergoes scheduled maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan. The Ronald Reagan CSG is deploying under the Navy's Fleet Response Plan (FRP) and will operate in the western Pacific in support of U.S. commitments in the region. FRP provides the U.S. with the ability to respond to any global commitment with flexible and sustainable forces and the ability to rapidly respond to a range of situations on short notice. The Ronald Rea…

From Navy Times July 07, 2006 Carrier Reagan returns from maiden deployment By Gidget Fuentes Times staff writer CORONADO, Calif. — With a swarm of colorful posters and festive balloons all around him, Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class (AW/SW) Ruel Concepcion took in a deep breath and glanced at his ship. “It looks like it’s been through a lot,” said Concepcion, 43, of San Francisco. “I can’t believe it, a six-month deployment. Her first one. This is memorable.” The aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, all 1,092 feet of military might, had nudged to its berth at North Island Naval Air Station on Thursday to complete its maiden operational deployment.…

From Air Force Times Reaper ready to deploy next month By Tom Vanden Brook - USA Today Posted : Tuesday Aug 28, 2007 6:23:41 EDT CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — The Air Force next month will deploy a new generation of pilotless airplane with the bombing power of an F-16 to help stop the stubborn Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. The Reaper is an upgraded version of the Predator, which has become one of the military’s most sought-after planes since it first appeared in Afghanistan in 2001. The Reaper can fly three times as fast as a Predator and carry eight times more weaponry, such as Hellfire missiles, the Air Force said. The Reaper’s greater range and s…

Red Alert: The Growing Threat to US Aircraft Carriers (CNAS, pdf)

From Aviation Week USAF Pilot Critiques Red Flag Action Nov 5, 2008 David A. Fulghum and Graham Warwick Indian pilots flying Su-30MKIs are extremely professional, but they're still learning how to best fight with their new aircraft. That opinion comes from an unidentified, senior F-15 pilot taped while briefing senior retired U.S. Air Force officers about the most recent Red Flag exercise. The video was made available online at YouTube.com. The French pilots flying the new Dassault Rafale appeared to be there to collect electronic intelligence on the Indian aircraft, contends the USAF pilot, who wears an Air Force Weapons School graduate patch. The F…

An interesting and undoubtedly controversial article ... Reforming America's Overhyped Airpower (POGO)

From Flight International DATE: 09/01/09 SOURCE: Flight International USAF starts public search for Air Force One replacement By Stephen Trimble The US Air Force yesterday took the first public step in the search for a replacement of the Boeing VC-25 Air Force One, the presidential aircraft fleet. The USAF posted a request for information for market sources that can provide three widebody aircraft to replace two, 19-year-old VC-25s, which are converted Boeing 747-200s. An analysis of alternatives performed in 2007, which identified the Airbus A380 as a candidate, found that it would be more cost-effective to buy new aircraft rather than modernize the…

Report on USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald collisions (Dept of the Navy, pdf)