Current Events in the Americas

US to boost BMD (DefenseNews) U.S. To Bolster Missile Defenses To Counter N.Korea Threat: Source (Aviation Week)

US to demolish obsolete ICBM launch facilities (Jane's)

From DefenseNews, 15 February 2011 US-Argentine tensions simmer with verbal jabs

The May 2007 issue of Air Force Magazine contains the annual USAF Almanac 2007, which is a collection of PDF documents detailing the US Air Force in facts and figures, its organizational structure (including reserve components), and USAF installations worldwide. Its a great source, especially for database work and PBEM/MBX wargaming. You can find it here.

USAF begins fielding JASSM-ER (Jane's)

CV32: Read this article and tell me what program comes to mind. From Aviation Week [excerpt]

From Air Force Times Tanker decision made By Kent Miller, Gayle S. Putrich and Pierre Tran - Staff writers Posted : Friday Feb 29, 2008 19:35:04 EST After months of deliberations — and more than one delay — the Air Force has finally decided who will build the service’s new refueling tankers. Northrop Grumman and European partner EADS beat out presumptive favorite Boeing for the Air Force’s $35-40 billion, 179-plane tanker deal, Air Force officials said. The bigger size of the plane was the crucial factor, they said. It represents the first of three deals that could eventually be worth as much as $100 billion over 30 years to replace almost 600 tankers. Comp…

From Flight Global DATE: 05/03/10 SOURCE: Flight International USAF considers options to preserve F-22 production tooling By Stephen Trimble Five months after the US Congress approved the cancellation of the Lockheed Martin F-22, the air force is still deciding whether to preserve or scrap the production tooling. The options under discussion include preserving at least the core of Lockheed's ability to build F-22 components and systems, although restarting production is not the USAF leadership's intent, says acquisition chief Lt Gen Mark Shackelford. Rather, USAF officials are considering the cost of preserving tooling to sustain the F-22, which could i…

From Flight International DATE: 18/08/08 SOURCE: Flight International USAF delays communications link for F-22, other fighters By Stephen Trimble The US Air Force has announced a new delay for a programme that would allow several combat aircraft, including the reclusive Lockheed Martin F-22, to communicate with each other in battle. A competition for the first phase of the Objective Gateway programme was scheduled to begin in mid-August, but now the first step in the acquisition process - releasing the request for proposals - is on indefinite hold, according to USAF acquisition documents issued on 11 August. "Additional information on the programme s…

From Defence Aerospace Quadrennial Defense Review Focuses on Future (Source: US Air Force; issued April 25, 2005) WASHINGTON -- The four capabilities the Air Force brings to the joint warfighting environment will be the focus of the service's contribution to the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review. Officials in the office of the secretary of defense produce the Quadrennial Defense Review every four years with input from the services. The report details to Congress the anticipated needs of the Defense Department out to about the year 2020. "The QDR is important to all of the services, … because it looks at what capabilities we have today verses what capabi…

USAF KC-135s to Serve as Comms Relays Source: US Air Force Jan. 20, 2006 eDefense A KC-135 Stratotanker at Fairchild AFB, WA, was fitted with upgraded communications equipment recently that will revolutionize the battlespace and the way the US and its allies fight wars, according to US Air Force (USAF) officials. After 18 months on the drawing board, equipment developed under the Roll-On Beyond Line-of-Sight Enhancement (ROBE) Spiral 2 program has been fitted to the first KC-135 and will undergo testing at Eglin Air Force Base, FL. This system will allow allied forces in the battle zones near-real-time communications with any headquarters across the globe. T…

From Flight Global [excerpt]

From DefenseNews The Congressional Electronic Warfare (EW) Working Group says U.S. Air Force plans to use the B-52 as a stand-off jammer — the B-52 SOJ — may be dropped to save money, a move the organization calls a major mistake. “Given the clear need for a robust airborne electronic attack capability, it’s alarming to hear that the B-52 SOJ may be given the ax in the forthcoming Quadrennial Defense Review, especially without a clear alternative to substitute the capability that the B-52 SOJ would bring to the table,” the working group said in a late December briefing statement. The working group was established by Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-Pa., to study U.S. military…

From Flight Global [excerpt]

Let's hope that they haven't forgotten those hard-won lessons. USAF Re-activating Aggressor Squadron Source: US Air Force Jan. 6, 2006 eDefense The US Air Force (USAF) will reactivate the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis AFB, NV, on Jan. 12. In a letter to airmen, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, USAF chief of staff, cited the history of the unit as “legendary” and said the aggressors will “directly contribute to the combat capability of our airmen.” “The 65th and other aggressor units will provide realistic adversary training in air, space, and information operations that make us even better,” General Moseley said. “Their training will keep us in…

From Flight Global DATE:12/06/07 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com US Air Force seeks replacement for high-explosive cannon rounds By Stephen Trimble High-explosive incendiary (HEI) rounds fired by most US Air Force fighters may soon be replaced in the inventory by inert 20mm bullets. The General Dynamics PGU-28 A/B 20mm semi-armour piercing HEI round entered service during the last decade with the M61 cannon installed on the Boeing F-15, Lockheed Martin F-16 and Lockheed F-22. As of 2001, the USAF and US Navy had stockpiled 8 million PGU-28 rounds, each of which features a pyrotechnic fuze and a pyrophoric explosive. But the USAF is now seeking a replacement …

From Defense Aerospace Air Force Strategic Plan Released (Source: US Air Force; issued Oct. 5, 2006) WASHINGTON --- The Air Force Strategic Plan 2006 - 2008 has been released and now is available online, announced Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Air Force Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley in a joint letter. The plan articulates the Air Force mission. "The Air Force Strategic Plan embodies how we will defend the nation against current and emerging threats," the letter said. "It demonstrates scalable choices, not limited by distance or time. Our strategic choices -- what we choose to prioritize, our actions in support of our prioriti…

AvWeek has provided a PDF of a PowerPoint presentation for the final request for proposals: Tanker final RFP

US Air Force Tests StormBreaker ‘Smart’ Munition on F-35 (Defense Post) Recently discussed in the DB forum.

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…