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U.S. Air Force News

  • AFSVA announces art contest winners

    When 2017 Air Force Art Contest results were announced recently, two artists from the same installation celebrated repeat victories. Josh Pugeau, 709th Maintenance Support Squadron civilian missile inspector at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, won the adult accomplished division with his charcoal “Bearded

  • Air Force announces next steps in light attack experimentation

    Following the Light Attack Experiment conducted in August 2017, the Air Force announced its intention to continue experimenting with two non-developmental aircraft, the Textron Aviation AT-6 Wolverine and the Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucano, from May to July 2018 at Davis-Monthan Air Force

  • National Space Defense Center transitions to 24/7 operations

    Less than a year after changing the name of the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center to the National Space Defense Center, the NSDC transitioned to 24/7 operations on Jan. 8, 2018, marking a significant step for the expanding, interagency team focused on protecting and defending the

  • SBIRS GEO Flight-4 Successfully Launched

    The Air Force successfully launched the fourth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V Evolved Expendable launch Vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida at 7:48 p.m. EST, Jan 19, 2018.

  • AFRL-Carroll High School iGEM team earns Gold in Boston

    A Carroll High School academic team, mentored by CHS teachers and Air Force Research Laboratory scientists, earned a gold medal at the 2017 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Boston, Nov. 9-13, 2017.

  • SECAF talks space during POC conference

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson addressed the importance of the Air Force’s space mission during the 2017 Potomac Officers Club Space Innovations, Programs and Policies Summit in Washington, D.C., Oct. 18, 2017.

  • 18th Space Control Squadron: Keeping watch up above

    The 18th Space Control Squadron located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, is a geographically separated unit of the 21st Space Wing, Peterson AFB, Colorado. The squadron provides situational awareness on thousands of items filling the skies while life moves along for those on Earth’s

  • Small antennas could bring big benefits to the Air Force

    When it comes to military and consumer electronics, smaller is often better, and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s revolutionary new antenna design is promising to make military electronics much better.Researchers at the AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, in partnership with

  • AF awards contracts for next-generation ICBM airborne launch control system

    The Air Force awarded two contracts Oct. 3, 2017, for upgrading the system that enables an aircraft to control an intercontinental ballistic missile’s launch from a silo in the ground.The three-year contracts of about $81 million each were awarded to Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Littleton,

  • A chip that scrambles

    The Air Force’s new Mini Crypto chip will secure communications and data between systems like unmanned aerial vehicles and explosive ordnance disposal robots, while being “losable.”

  • 45th SW launches 5th OTV mission

    The 45th Space Wing successfully launched a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle Sept. 7, 2017, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.

  • New Air Force Space Operations Directorate achieves operating capability

    The Air Force selected the senior civilian and mobilization assistant for the deputy chief of staff for Space Operations directorate, or "AF/A11," Aug. 17, 2017. Mr. Shawn Barnes will serve as the assistant deputy chief of staff for Space Operations, and Maj. Gen. Pamela Lincoln has been named as

  • AF rolls out fiscal 2018 space budget

    Air Force leaders met with media to discuss specifics of the service’s fiscal 2018 space investment budget at the Pentagon May 24, 2017. The request totals $7.75 billion, an approximately 20 percent increase from fiscal year 2017.

  • 45th Space Wing enables nation's space mission

    Space launches may soon be an almost weekly sight on Florida's Space Coast. As the need for space lift grows globally, partnerships between the Air Force, other government agencies and the commercial space industry are enhancing the 45th Space Wing's vision of remaining the world's premier gateway

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • BLUE: The Spirit of Exploration

    Have you ever dreamed of going into space? In this episode of BLUE, we meet two Air Force astronauts who share their experiences and give us a glimpse into the future of space exploration.

  • 45th Space Wing supports NASA launch

    The 45th Space Wing supported NASA's successful launch of Orbital ATK CRS-4, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 41, Dec. 6.

  • Atlas V booster lands at Vandenberg

    One of the world’s largest cargo aircraft recently delivered an Atlas V booster to Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Antonov AN-124 made its way from a production facility in Decatur, Alabama, to deliver the booster Nov. 20.

  • 45th Space Wing supports GPS satellite launch aboard Atlas V

    The 45th Space Wing supported the Air Force's 11th launch of a Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on Oct. 31.

  • Tech Report: F-35A

    The F-35A Lightning II is the Air Force's latest fifth generation fighter. It's lethal, survivable and adaptive.

  • 45th Space Wing supports ULA’s 100th Atlas launch

    The 45th Space Wing supported the United Launch Alliance's 100th launch, an Atlas V 421 rocket flying the Morelos-3 communications satellite for Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation on Oct. 2.

  • GPS III launch services proposal request released

    The Air Force released a final request for proposal on Global Positioning System III launch services Sept. 30 to cover launch vehicle production, mission integration and launch operations for the satellite mission set to start in 2018. Proposals are due back to the Air Force by Nov. 16 in accordance

  • AFSPC: Space, cyberspace provide advantages, challenges

    The Air Force Space Command commander explained how space and cyberspace domains are integral components in modern and future operations during a speech at the 2015 Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 15.

  • Cognitive computers primed to change the Air Force acquisition landscape

    Cognitive thinking machines that can critically analyze and process information accurately and at a rate faster than human capability are the type of meta-advance technologies that Sci-Fi fanatics dream of, and the Air Force is seeking to leverage this innovative technology in the world of

  • 3rd largest wideband enterprise terminal upgrade in progress

    A key system that helps ensure the global free flow of information throughout all military branches and other government agencies is undergoing a major overhaul. Led by a team at Hanscom Air Force Base, the Air Force Wideband Enterprise Terminal system is receiving its third largest upgrade to date,

  • GPS IIF-10 successfully launched from Cape Canaveral

    The Air Force and its mission partners successfully launched the tenth Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 11:36 a.m. EDT.

  • GPS: A generation of service to the world

    Nearly 40 years ago, the Air Force launched the first GPS satellite, dubbed Navstar. But even the most visionary of those people involved with the first launch probably couldn’t have guessed how much GPS would eventually impact the world.

  • SBIRS awards technical refresh modification

    The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) recently completed negotiations on the Lockheed Martin Space Systems’ Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Technical Refresh proposal and awarded the contract modification June 9.

  • Commercial Integration Cell pilot program underway

    U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC Space) initiated a six-month pilot program incorporating commercial operators into its Joint Space Operations Center, here, June 1.

  • Kendall cites progress on F-35 performance, schedule, cost

    The F-35 Lightning II program (also known as the Joint Strike Fighter program) is making progress on performance, schedule and cost, Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told U.S. reporters last week during a teleconference from Norway.

  • AF successfully launches the AFSPC-5 mission

    The Air Force and its mission partners successfully launched the AFSPC-5 mission aboard the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) procured United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, May 20, at 11:05 a.m. EST. There were no issues reported with the

  • Nellis breaks ground on DOD’s largest solar array

    Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony March 24 for the newest Air Force solar array, a photovoltaic farm named Nellis II. The system, upon completion, will provide 19 megawatts of direct current capacity to the base, making it the largest photovoltaic system in the

  • DARPA uses open systems to boost airpower

    The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is unveiling a new program to boost U.S. air superiority by separating payloads such as weapons and sensors from the main air platform, and using open-system architectures to seamlessly integrate plug-and-fly modules into any kind of platform.

  • 9th-generation GPS satellite blasts off from 'The Cape'

    The 45th Space Wing supported the successful launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket carrying the Air Force's ninth Block IIF-9 navigation satellite for the GPS March 25, 2015, from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

  • AF research will improve camera for targeting munitions

    In order for an imaging munition to find and make its mark, a variety of information is required, including high-resolution video imagery. Future Air Force munitions will likely feature wide field-of-view (WFOV) imaging seekers that provide Air Force warfighters several advantages over using

  • SBIRS constellation forms under one roof

    Airmen from the 460th Operations Group have made history by successfully completing the first series of Space Based Infrared System satellite and antenna communication on Jan. 28-30 from Block 10, the new operations floor, on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.

  • AF conducts massive protected MILSATCOM test

    The Air Force concluded a six-month rigorous and complex multiservice operational test and evaluation of its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF)system in January at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.

  • 45th SW supports 5th SpaceX launch for ISS resupply mission

    The 45th Space Wing supported Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) successful launch of their Falcon 9 Dragon spacecraft headed to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, Jan 10.

  • GPS analysts bridge gap between launch, orbit

    As the Air Force continues to upgrade its most recognizable space constellation, a small team is busy testing and evaluating, and ensuring that each spacecraft is ready to begin its job of providing position, navigation, and timing to more than 3 billion worldwide users.

  • New app to solve basic computer problems across AF

    As the Air Force Enterprise Service Desk goes virtual, Airmen will see a new application on their computers that allows them to immediately tackle and fix their minor information technology issues

  • AF awards new launch, test range service contract

    The Air Force awarded the Launch and Test Range Integrated Service Contract (LISC) to RGNext on Nov. 6. The total contract value, including all potential options and potential award fee is $2 billion. LISC will provide the government with a single prime contractor responsible and accountable for

  • Historic hangars merge past with present

    Two historic hangars were fitted with solar walls last year, and the effort is saving the installation as much as $100,000 per year in utility costs. In addition to cost savings, the systems are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 470 metric tons per year -- the equivalent of

  • FY 15 launch schedule kicks off with GPS IIF-8 liftoff

    The U.S. Air Force supported the successful launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Air Force's eighth Block IIF navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System at 1:21 p.m. EDT Oct. 29 from Space Launch Complex 41 here.

  • Programmers earn award for innovative tablet app

    Software development programmers with the 375th Communications Support Squadron here were nationally recognized for creating an innovative iPad application designed to decrease the time it takes for KC-10 loadmasters and boom operators to do their jobs during pre-flight operations.

  • Hackathon to help solve real-world problems

    The Air Force Research Laboratory is preparing to co-host LabHack, a 26-hour long coding competition which will task coding-savvy individuals, or "hackers," to creatively solve challenges that AFRL researchers face every day.

  • Cyber: The new Red Flag battleground

    The internet is a battleground, and information is the prize. News reports of a shopping retailer losing control of customers’ digital data and an internet browser being compromised are some of the recent evidence of the constant cyber-threat present in the World Wide Web. The digital war over

  • For Dyess maintainers, little shop pays big dividends

    For most maintainers, the answer to a broken part is easy: replace the part, continue the mission. For the Air Force Repair Enhancement Program shop, the broken part is the mission. AFREP Airmen are responsible for repairing especially costly pieces of equipment or equipment essential to the

  • Weathering the storm: AF eyes in the sky provide global weather data

    Detachment 1, 50th Operations Group, a small contingent of four Air Force officers, is responsible for seven satellites that comprise the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, or DMSP. The team coordinates with the space experts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, contractor

  • Minuteman III test missile launches from Vandenberg

    A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile Sept. 23 at 7:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

  • Army, AF share joint information network

    During September, the Army and Air Force achieved major network security and capacity upgrades at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, in partnership with the Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA.

  • AFRL commander describes Air Force’s technology vision

    The Air Force Research Laboratory commander discussed the future of hypersonic technology, directed energy and autonomous systems at the 2014 Air Force Association’s Air & Space and Technology Exposition here Sept. 16.

  • AF Academy ranks high in Best Colleges Ranking report

    The U.S. Air Force Academy ranks high among the nation's top universities in engineering and liberal arts courses, according to the 2015 Best Colleges Ranking report released Sept. 9, by U.S. News & World Report.

  • Airmen operate America's fortress

    Known as America's Fortress, Cheyenne Mountain is portrayed in movies, books and documentaries as a top secret base similar to that of Area 51.

  • Air Force uses lasers to preserve space history

    Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 is best known as the launch site for NASA's "Friendship 7," the flight that brought John Glenn fame as the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Now, more than 50 years later, the complex and other National Historic Landmarks are rapidly falling into decay.

  • Edwards, NASA say goodbye to historic landmark

    A structure synonymous with NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center for the past 38 years, the grey-colored space shuttle Mate-Demate Device (MDD) at Edwards Air Force Base is being dismantled and demolished as a part of the final chapter in the U.S. space shuttle program.

  • AFSOUTH strengthens space ties with partner nations

    Three officers from the Dominican Republic, Peruvian and Brazilian militaries partnered with active-duty and guard Airmen at Davis-Monthan for a rare opportunity to work collectively on the space component of PANAMAX 2014, Aug. 8-15.

  • Code change: Securing critical assets

    Once a year, the codes used to launch Minot Air Force Base's intercontinental ballistic missiles need to be updated.The manual process requires hundreds of Airmen work around the clock for three weeks straight to ensure all launch facilities are accessed and the missile code change is a success.

  • Air Force's new maritime radar becomes operational

    The Air Force Technical Applications Center has a welcome addition to its treaty monitoring capabilities - the Cobra King radar system aboard the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen. Cobra King is a new, state-of-the-art mobile radar system consisting of S- and X-band phased radars that AFTAC employs to provide

  • Altus breaks ground for KC-46A construction

    Officials broke ground on a new construction project on Altus Air Force Base, Okla., Aug. 7. The ceremony marked the beginning of a months-long effort to prepare for the arrival of the newest refueling aircraft in the Air Force fleet, the KC-46A Pegasus.

  • Tyndall AFB takes F-22 pilot training to next level

    The Air Force’s ability to continue developing a fifth generation fighter aircraft fleet ready to meet the challenges of future warfare, hinges in large part, on a steady influx of capable and trained F-22 Raptor pilots.

  • AF launches successful satellite mission

    The 45th Space Wing supported a successful United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle carrying Air Force Space Command mission assets for the Air Force July 28.

  • AF satellites to contribute to space neighborhood watch

    The Air Force plans to launch two operational satellites and one experimental satellite into near-geosynchronous Earth orbit July 23. According to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, "these operational and experimental systems will enhance the nation’s ability to monitor and assess events

  • From trash to treasure: Converting Academy waste into renewable energy

    During August 2013, the Defense Department Environmental Security Technology Certification Program funded CDM Smith, a national engineering and construction firm, to test how the U.S. Air Force Academy can reduce energy use and cost at its wastewater treatment plant, and convert food waste from its

  • Medical training in hyperreality

    The Air Force Medical Modeling and Simulation Training, or AFMMAST, is improving medical training is by adding hyperreality and high fidelity through the use of the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Cut Suit.