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  • Air Force celebrates 60 years of the KC-135

    The Air Force celebrated the 60th birthday of the KC-135 Stratotanker Aug. 31. The first Stratotanker flew in August of 1956 and was later delivered to the Air Force in June 1957.

  • Fueling the future: AF works to ‘home-grow’ biofuels for DOD, industry

    A need to address increases in petroleum costs with an environmentally friendly fuel source has led to a new way of looking at production—and the Defense Production Act Title III Program Office, part of the Air Force Research Laboratory, is playing a critical role in commercializing this technology.

  • Joint exercise prepares Airmen, Soldiers for contingency ops

    Green Flag Little Rock 16-09 kicked off Aug. 18 with about 750 Army paratroopers jumping from several C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in the dead of night to seize and secure an assault zone. Among the largest rotational air mobility training events in the world, the exercise

  • F-35 surges forward with record-breaking weapons tests

    The F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base, California, recently completed 25 missions comprised of 12 weapons delivery accuracy and 13 weapon separation tests as part of a monthlong weapons firing test surge.

  • J-model shows why it’s king in recent rescue

    When the phone rings and lives are on the line, rescue Airmen understand that at a moment’s notice they need to be in the air and prepared to do the mission. On Aug. 19 that call came.

  • AF opens enlisted RPA pilot program to all AFSCs

    Using a phased-application approach, Air Force senior leaders are casting a wider net to ensure more active-duty enlisted Airmen are eligible to apply for the service’s RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft program, a Pentagon official said Aug. 29.

  • Former AFMC commander talks innovation, third offset

    Innovation and the nation’s third offset strategy were topics brought forth by retired Gen. Gregory S. Martin, a former commander of Air Force Materiel Command, as he spoke with service members at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Aug. 24.

  • Open architecture bringing benefits to Air Force DCGS

    A battle management team is working to improve capabilities for warfighters who process and disseminate intelligence information. The Air Force Distributed Common Ground System is the Air Force’s key system for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information. There are dozens of DCGS sites

  • Research analysts develop F-22 efficiency tool

    Operations research analysts assigned to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s operations research team at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, were recently recognized by the Military Operations Research Society for developing the F-22 master plan scheduling tool, which is credited with

  • Air Force, Army planners find ways to see greater jump in airdrops

    An arriving C-130 Hercules taxies to a large hangar where about 60 Army paratroopers wait to board. Lugging about 100 pounds of gear, the Soldiers quickly line up and load into the aircraft as its four idling engines blow hot gusts over the tarmac. Minutes later, the plane is flying at 150 mph and

  • Newly activated unit guides transient aircraft on joint missions

    Any aircraft that flies into Pope Army Airfield, Col. Kelly Holbert will know about it. But Holbert’s unit, the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group, has no aircraft of its own. As the only en route operations group in the continental U.S., the unit manages transient aircraft and the joint missions

  • Contingency response Airmen support exercise Northern Strike

    Airmen from the 821st Contingency Response Group here recently participated in exercise Northern Strike at Grayling Army Airfield and Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan. Northern Strike is a large-scale exercise coordinated by the Michigan Army National Guard and features Army,

  • Air Force aims to hasten foreign military sales process

    In remarks at the State Department’s Foreign Press Center in New York Aug. 17, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James outlined the Air Force’s multifaceted approach to expedite the service’s portion of the foreign military sales process.

  • US, South Korean forces integrate at Daegu for Buddy Wing training

    Fighter squadrons across the Korean Peninsula routinely participate in Buddy Wings to enhance the interoperability of U.S. and South Korean air forces. For Buddy Wing 16-7, F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from the 36th Fighter Squadron traveled to Daegu Air Base, South Korea, to train with F-15K Slam

  • Goldfein talks air coalition ops during CENTCOM region visit

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein recently visited the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to get a sense of not only how the campaign is going as a member of the joint chiefs but also to get an understanding of how he can better support Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and

  • AF, Navy medical teams integrate at sea

    Airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group’s Mobile Field Surgical Team and Expeditionary Critical Care Team embarked aboard amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17). The group will augment and train with the ship's existing medical personnel to provide additional surgical

  • KC-46A approved for production

    The KC-46A Pegasus program received Milestone C approval from Frank Kendall, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, signaling the aircraft is ready to enter into production.

  • Travis C-5M delivers SBIRS GEO Flight 3 satellite

    A C-5M Super Galaxy assisted in the completion of a major milestone for the Air Force’s Space Based Infrared Systems program, successfully delivering a geosynchronous Earth orbit Flight 3 satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, Aug. 2.

  • CSAF letter to Airmen

    Attached is the first in a series of short papers I will share that outlines my thinking in key focus areas. You will find each in our Strategic Master Plan (SMP) and Air Force Future Operating Construct (AFFOC); and each nests nicely under SecAF’s priorities of: Taking Care of Airmen; Balancing

  • New AF violence prevention specialists training begins

    Representatives from the major commands and more than 30 Air Force installations attended training at Dobbins Air Reserve Base July 18-29 to become violence prevention specialists. The Specialists for the Primary Prevention of Violence is being set up as a new helping agency for Airmen and their

  • Tankers enable long-range bomber capability during Polar Roar

    Mobility Airmen play a vital role in deterrence and stand ready to operate in support of global operations at a moment’s notice. Air Mobility Command Airmen, 15 KC-135 Stratotankers and 10 KC-10 Extenders enabled Air Force Global Strike Command B-52 Stratofortresses and B-2 Spirits to sustain air

  • A-10s land on highway in Estonia

    Eight Air Force Reserve Command A-10 Thunderbolt IIs conducted highway landings on the Jägala-Käravete Highway in Northern Estonia Aug 1.

  • Reservists assist aerial firefighting efforts

    An Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules equipped with a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System departed Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, Aug. 3 to support ongoing aerial firefighting efforts in the West.

  • Repair Network Integration helps build a better repair network

    During periods where mission generation needs exceed local maintenance capabilities, backshops have historically relied on informal contacts and processes to increase capacity. Repair Network Integration, however, offers a single point of contact to help maintenance backshops explore all available

  • AF declares the F-35A ‘combat ready’

    The F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, Aug 2.

  • Fighting terror with diversity

    In the 711th Human Performance Wing and across the Air Force, Airmen are encouraged to bring everything they have to the fight. Capt. Patrick Mudimbi, an environmental health consultant for the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, has some unique weapons in his arsenal -- he’s from the

  • F-35A program continues to make improvements

    Airmen of the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, have been preparing the F-35A Lightning II for combat readiness since the first operational aircraft was received in September 2015.

  • AF maintenance squadron prepares C-130 for US Forest Service

    What started out as an aircraft used by the Coast Guard and later maintained by Airmen will soon end up in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service. A C-130H Hercules that has been revamped by the 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is in its final stages of programmed depot maintenance at Robins Air

  • Unique C-5 completes major inspection

    During the past two months, a C-5M Space Cargo Modified (SCM) Super Galaxy underwent a major isochronal inspection inside an ISO dock at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. This C-5M SCM, originally a C-5A model assigned to Travis AFB, California, was modified into a C-5C model, one of only two such

  • Policy changes allow Airmen to retrain into special ops

    In a move to meet the high demand for battlefield Airmen, the Air Force announced changes to retraining and cross-flow, outlined in a policy memorandum from April. The changes allow Airmen to be released from their current jobs in the Air Force to cross-train into the special tactics career fields,

  • Professional bad guys: Space aggressors prepare Airmen for the enemy

    Walking out to an F-16 Fighting Falcon, Staff Sgt. Erick Vega is told upon landing that the pilot experienced loss of GPS. An hour passes before Vega, an avionics specialist from Aviano Air Base, Italy, determines that adversaries have degraded the system through an attack on space assets.

  • National security requires modernized nuclear deterrence

    The Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration stressed the importance of nuclear deterrence and the need for nuclear modernization July 21 at an Air Force Association breakfast at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

  • 100-plus aircraft fly in for exercise Red Flag 16-3

    The three-week long Red Flag 16-3, a U.S.-only exercise that tests all participating units’ combat capabilities in a joint environment that centers on multi-domain integration, kicked off at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, July 11.

  • A-10s deploy to Slovakia for cross-border training

    The 122nd Fighter Wing, which flies the A-10 "Warthog" airframe, has deployed eight A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and approximately 140 Airmen in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve for a month-long combined training event, overseas, to Sliač Air Base, Slovakia.

  • National Intrepid Center zeroes in on traumatic brain injury

    Defense Medical Surveillance System and Theater Medical Data figures show that more than 339,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury since 2000. For service members on their roads to recovery, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland, stands ready

  • Program works to reduce risk on next Air Force One

    The Air Force awarded a contract modification to Boeing July 15 to continue risk reduction activities for the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program, which will field the next Air Force One.

  • Saber Strike turns to medevac mission for C-17 aircrew

    After a C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from the 21st Airlift Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California, took off June 10 for exercise Saber Strike 16, they ended up on a real-world emergency medical mission to help a fellow Airman.

  • Air dominance and the critical role of fifth-generation fighters

    Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the Air Combat Command commander, discussed the importance of air superiority and the need to assure it by modernizing the combat air force during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee in Washington, D.C., July 13.

  • Former AF chief of staff recognized for analysis legacy

    Former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper was honored for his analysis work with the Lt. Gen. Glenn A. Kent Leadership Award, presented by Kevin Williams, the director of Air Force Studies, Analyses and Assessments, during a July 11 ceremony at the Pentagon.

  • Airman links deployed operators to human performance experts

    Many scientists and engineers go directly from school to laboratories and do not get the opportunity to work side by side with customers who use the products they create. For a behavioral scientist in the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, that’s not the case.

  • Detachment standardizes aeromedical qualification training for total force

    Airmen assigned to 31 aeromedical evacuation squadrons across the Air Force must complete vigorous training to provide lifesaving in-transit care on fixed-wing aircraft. The 375th Air Mobility Wing’s newest formal training unit, Detachment 4, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the

  • Carter announces 560 US troops to deploy to Iraq

    Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other Iraqi leaders in Baghdad on July 11. He commended them for the recent progress in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, including the capture of a strategic airfield near the town of

  • New era of airpower exhibited at world’s largest air show

    The newest additions to American airpower, the F-35 Lightning II A and B variants, as well as the F-22 Raptor and numerous legacy and special mission aircraft from U.S. forces were on display at the The 2016 Royal International Air Tattoo at Royal Air Force Fairford, England.

  • Little Rock Airman saves woman from drowning

    It was June 25, a normal Saturday of kayaking at the Ouachita River Whitewater Park in Malvern, Arkansas, for Senior Airman Colton Lien and his friends when they witnessed a woman fall out her inner tube into the middle of the river.

  • Ramstein wife earns spouse of the year award

    Giving back to the local community is one of the duties that come along with service to one's country. There are some people, like Nicole Bridge, who don’t wear the uniform, but give back in an equally large way. Bridge was recently awarded the 2016 Joan Orr Air Force Spouse of the Year award.

  • Reserve C-17 wins best in show at UK air show

    Reservists from the 315th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, participated in the annual Yeovilton Air Day at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, England, on July 2, and they were also awarded the show’s top prize, the best static display award.

  • Two missions, one fight

    The 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron have two different missions, yet work together every day to ensure the single mission of the C-130 Hercules can equip and prepare our forces to stay in the fight another day.

  • Visualizing threats: A decade of threat modeling

    Dynamic explosions, missile launches and air-to-air dogfights are just a few animations the National Air and Space Intelligence Center threat visualization team create to help communicate potential threats in the world.

  • First USAF F-35A takes overseas flight to England

    The Air Combat Command F-35A Heritage Flight team accomplished America’s first transatlantic flight in an F-35A Lightning II, with refueling support from a KC-10 Extender, when it touched down June 30 at Royal Air Force Fairford, England.

  • Legislative liaisons enhance mobility relationships, future

    During an election year, many service members are extra cautious about any political affiliations. While this is important, Airmen have the right to reach out to their congressional representatives. Some Airmen even work directly with the politicians.

  • Coalition leader talks airpower effects

    The head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command took time June 28 to discuss the impact airpower has had in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and throughout Southwest Asia during a visit with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing.

  • Air Force Junior ROTC partners up with AFA for StellarXplorer competition

    The Air Force Association is striving to increase participation in its third annual StellarXplorers competition this year by teaming up with the Air Force Junior ROTC headquarters. The new partnership will introduce the event to almost four times as many students compared to previous years.

  • Wargame provides reality check for war plans

    More than 70 mobility and logistics professionals from the U.S. and three allied countries convened for an exercise known as Global Mobility, Agile Combat Support (GLOMO/ACS) at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, June 20-24. Air Mobility Command has led the biennial wargame since 2002. In

  • Teamwork, airlift keys to success of exercise in Gabon

    Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, participated in Central Accord 2016, a joint military exercise with nearly 1,000 participants from 14 countries, which took place on the western coast of Africa June 10-24.

  • Edwards team creates mobile, reconfigurable cockpit

    The Portable Manned Interactive Cockpit was designed and is being built by members of the 772nd Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The PMIC is expected to be completed and ready for use by July 2016.

  • Minnesota guardsmen help secure skies above South Korea

    The Air National Guard is frequently called upon when U.S. Pacific Command needs additional assets to deliver rapid air capabilities in the Pacific region, and Airmen from the 148th Fighter Wing out of Duluth, Minnesota, are currently stepping up to that call.

  • Liaison officers keep communication flowing in Swift Response

    As exercise Swift Response 16 began phase II, with C-130J Super Hercules aircraft flying overhead and Soldiers operating on the ground, air mobility liaison officers kept effective communications flowing between both elements to ensure a successful exercise.

  • ACC: F-35 on track for IOC

    The F-35A Lightning II is on track to declare initial operational capability between August and December. Col. David Chace, the F-35 systems management office chief and lead for F-35 operational requirements at Air Combat Command, answers questions on the fifth-generation fighter.

  • Guardsmen train at Maintenance University

    More than 260 Air National Guard members from five states attended a weeklong course in aircraft maintenance here to enhance proficiency in everything from hydraulics to electrical generation.The annual event, now in its eighth year, is called Maintenance University, said Capt. James Campbell, the