News from the Air Force

[Leo Byrd]

F-35A Completes Wing Flutter Testing:

AF-1, an F-35A test aircraft at Edwards AFB, Calif., recently flew its final mission testing for clear wing flutter, announced prime contractor Lockheed Martin. This testing, conducted over the course of three years, was meant to ensure that the aircraft's structure can withstand various aerodynamic loads, helping to certify its design, according to the company's Feb. 11 release. "The testing demonstrated the F-35 is clear of flutter, at speeds up to 1.6 Mach and 700 knots with weapon bay doors open or closed," states the release. The data collected prove that the F-35A's flight dynamics maintain "a large margin between its designed airspeed and airspeeds where possible flutter could occur," said the company.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Reserve RED HORSE Unit Coming to Beale:

Air Force Reserve Command will stand up the 583rd RED HORSE Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif., in March, announced command officials. The mobile, heavy-construction civil engineering unit will be AFRC's sixth such squadron and its first on the West Coast, states the command's Feb. 7 release. It will comprise some 200 airmen, including civil engineers, logistics and support personnel, security forces, and a medical team. The squadron's forthcoming standup follows the mid-January re-designation of Beale's 940th Civil Engineer Squadron as the 940th Civil Engineer Flight. "Our current CE squadron will downsize by about 100 positions, with most of those positions being absorbed by the new 583rd," said Col. Patricia Brewer, 940th Mission Support Group commander. While the 940th CES concentrated on base maintenance, the new RED HORSE unit will focus on supporting Air Force operations worldwide, according to the release. "RED HORSE is a heavy construction team, trained and equipped to take on large projects in remote, high-threat environments," said Lt. Col. Michael Onines, 940th CES commander. He added, "It's a capability that combatant commanders have been asking for more and more."

[BubbleGumTiger]

Separate Ways:

The Air Force has split the space and missile career field in order to give officers currently coded in space operations or nuclear missile operations more focused development in their respective areas, announced service officials. This move, affecting about 3,100 officers, is also another step to further strengthen the nuclear enterprise, they said in a Feb. 15 release. "Space and missile operations have become more and more technical in application and execution—each in their own unique ways," said Col. Joseph Prue, career field manager for space operations officers. "This split will enable each career field to continue cultivating technical expertise via separate yet equally important avenues in order to be more effective and efficient in meeting current and future Air Force needs," he added. Out of the former Air Force specialty code 13S space and missile operations comes 13S space operations and 13N nuclear and missile operations, states the release. Under the old construct, more than 50 percent of space-coded company grade officers' development time was spent as a missileer, according to the release.

[courier]

United States Forces Korea are in the midst of consolidating bases. They are moving away from the DMZ and locating south of Seoul. Korean forces are taking the lead and asserting themselves along the DMZ.

[BubbleGumTiger]

United States Forces Korea are in the midst of consolidating bases. They are moving away from the DMZ and locating south of Seoul. Korean forces are taking the lead and asserting themselves along the DMZ.

Thanks for the update.......seems like we have been on the DMZ forever......

[BubbleGumTiger]

Allen Opts to Retire:

Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, who up until Feb. 10 led US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, announced on Tuesday that he would retire and step away from his nomination to become the senior US and NATO commander in Europe. Allen cited concern over the health of his wife as the reason for his decision, reported Reuters. President Obama accepted Allen's resignation on Feb. 19 after a private meeting with him. "I told Gen. Allen that he has my deep, personal appreciation for his extraordinary service over the last 19 months in Afghanistan, as well as his decades of service," said Obama in his statement. Obama last October nominated Allen to succeed Navy Adm. James Stavridis as NATO supreme allied commander and US European Command boss. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta subsequently placed the nomination on hold pending the outcome of an investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general into Allen's email contact with one of the women linked to the David Petraeus sex scandal. The IG last month cleared Allen of any wrongdoing. "Gen. John Allen has proven himself to be one of the United States military's most outstanding battlefield leaders, a brilliant strategist, and an exemplary marine," said Panetta in a statement on Tuesday.

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U-2 Tweaks Aim to Avert Pilot Bends:

Technicians at Beale AFB, Calif., are modifying U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to nearly double the airplanes' cockpit pressure, thereby lessening Dragon Lady pilots' risk of decompression sickness when descending from extreme altitude, according to base officials. "What we're doing is beefing up the structure and pressure equipment" including cockpit bulkheads, explained Lockheed Martin field representative James Barnes in Beale's Feb. 15 release. The Cockpit Altitude Reduction Effort retrofits will boost ambient pressure from 3.88 pounds per square inch to 7.65 psi, states the release. Even wearing a pressure suit at 70,000 feet altitude, U-2 pilots experience the physiological effects of nearly 29,000 feet altitude—equivalent to standing on Mount Everest, according to the release. The modifications will halve the perceived altitude to a more manageable 15,000 feet, said base officials. Members of the 9th Maintenance Squadron undertake the CARE tear-down and Lockheed Martin technicians complete the mods during phase maintenance at Beale, they said. The mods take roughly 23 days per airframe

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The Tail End of B-52 Tail Enders:

CMSgt. Francis Dailey, one of the last former B-52 tail gunners serving on Active Duty, retired from the Air Force after more than 27 years in uniform in a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., announced base officials. Dailey enlisted in 1985 and completed aerial gunnery school at then-Castle AFB, Calif., before serving under Strategic Air Command, according to Hurlburt's Feb. 17 release. "For the next four years, I flew just shy of 1,000 hours as a gunner," Dailey recounted at his Feb. 14 retirement ceremony. When the service eliminated Air Force specialty code 111X0 in 1991, ending B-52 gunner as a career field, Dailey cross-trained into intelligence and would later spend time on assignments in Africa, Afghanistan, and South Korea, states the release. He retired as superintendent of the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, training intel commandos at Hurlburt. There are still some ex-B-52 gunners serving in other career fields or in the reserve components, according to the release.

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Upgrade for Battlefield Airmen's Gear Kit:

The Air Force has tasked Boeing to develop and deliver a lightweight, compact laser targeting system called Line of Sight-Short to help improve the effectiveness of battlefield airmen performing close air support missions, announced the company on Wednesday. "LOS-S provides the Air Force intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting in one easy-to-use, lightweight, hand-held device," said Mike Hettmann, Boeing's director of tactical ISR, in the company's Feb. 20 release. The company received an initial $3 million contract for this work; if the Air Force exercises all options for production, the contract's total value could reach more than $100 million, states the release. LOS-S is part of the Air Force's broader efforts to upgrade the suite of gear that battlefield airmen carry into combat. The system offers improved target detection, recognition, laser designation, and friendly fire avoidance capabilities, said Boeing.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Negotiating Civilian Furloughs:

The furloughs expected for Defense Department civilian employees under budget sequestration have the potential to severely disrupt activity inside Air Force Materiel Command, since civilians comprise 77 percent of the command's workforce, said AFMC head Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger. "So, clearly we will be impacted by furloughs," said Wolfenbarger at AFA's Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 21. She said command officials are still negotiating with the employee unions as to how to implement these furloughs. Pentagon leaders announced last week that such furloughs would be unavoidable if sequestration, which is set to kick in on March 1, drags on. The furloughs would likely begin in late April, they said. Wolfenbarger said the question is whether AFMC civilian employees would take the furloughs on consecutive days, which would have the most impact on the command, or break up the days, taking one day off a week for the rest of the fiscal year, she said. "We are not done with the union negotiations to figure out how to implement this, but it's looking like the unions are moving more toward taking consecutive days," said Wolfenbarger.

[BubbleGumTiger]

The Qualitative Advantage:

The current budget battles should not stop the Air Force from researching sixth generation fighter capabilities, Gen. Mike Hostage, commander of Air Combat Command, told the Daily Report. "One of the things that sets us apart from any other air force in the world is our qualitative advantage. A lot of that comes from the technical capability that we've sustained," said Hostage during an interview at AFA's Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 21. "We can't zero out science and technology." In fact, Hostage said he feels "morally obligated" to consider what he called "F-X," the notional sixth gen fighter. He said, "We need to look at what will replace the F-35, assuming I get to buy them. What will defend the nation from 2030 to 2040?"

[BubbleGumTiger]

Air Force Defines Criteria for New Combat Medal:

An airmen whose "single act of extraordinary achievement"—either inside or outside of a combat zone—directly and significantly impacts critical combat operations may be eligible for the new Distinguished Warfare Medal, announced Air Force personnel officials. "The action must include hands-on employment of a weapons system, including remotely controlled assets, or any other activity, in any domain, that had a direct and immediate on-site effect on an engagement or operation against a target," states the service's Feb. 22 release. The airman's act must "clearly set the individual apart from comrades or others in similar situations," states the release. Although involvement in a combat operation is required, the Air Force will under no circumstances award the DWM for acts of valor as other decorations recognize, states the release. The Air Force Secretary has the final approval authority for an airman receiving the medal, which the Pentagon announced earlier this month. Eligibility for the medal is retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001, so former or retired airmen may also be eligible, states the release.

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Vietnam Veteran Awarded Bronze Star with Valor:

Placido Salazar, a retired airman, earlier this month received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device for his heroic actions when his air base came under attack in South Vietnam in 1965. Retired Col. Colin Chauret, a former commander of Salazar, pinned the Bronze Star on Salazar during the Feb. 15 ceremony at JBSA-Randolph, Tex., according to Randolph's Feb. 26 release. Salazar also received a Purple Heart at the ceremony. On Aug. 21, 1965, Salazar, who decrypted classified messages as a member of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., was deployed to Bien Hoa AB, South Vietnam. The base came under attack. Salazar secured an encrypted message he was holding and then brought his previously injured commander from a nearby building to the underground command post bunker, states the release. Salazar then helped two other senior officers to safety in the face of the enemy fire, states the release. At one point during the firefight, Salazar was knocked unconscious after slipping. Upon waking, he secured more officers and then guarded the command post until relieved. Salazar retired from the Air Force in 1976 after 20 years of service, states the release.

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Doolittle Raider Thomas Griffin Dies:

Retired Maj. Thomas C. Griffin, one of the Doolittle Raiders who, along with 79 other airmen, carried out a daring bombing attack on Tokyo on April 18, 1942, died in his sleep in a veterans' hospital in Cincinnati on Feb. 26, reported Cincinnati.com. He was 96. Griffin, a native of Green Bay, Wisc., served as navigator on aircraft No. 9, one of the 16 B-25 bombers under the command of then-Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle that took off from the deck of the carrier USS Hornet in the Pacific Ocean to bomb Tokyo on that spring day in 1942, just four months after Japan's strike on Pearl Harbor. Griffin, then a lieutenant, bailed out with his crewmates over China after the raid and made his way back to allied lines. Eventually returning to combat, he later spent 22 months as a prisoner of war in Germany after his airplane was shot down in July 1943. Griffin's death leaves four surviving Doolittle Raiders: retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, co-pilot on aircraft No. 1; retired Lt. Col. Bob Hite, co-pilot on aircraft No. 16; retired Lt. Col. Edward Saylor, engineer on aircraft No. 15; and retired MSgt. David Thatcher, engineer-gunner on aircraft No. 7. Those four are scheduled to gather in mid-April in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., for the Doolittle Raiders' 71st reunion.

[BubbleGumTiger]

Plan to Bring RPAs to New York Air Guard Unit on Hold:

Last fall, as part of jockeying over the Air Force's force structure, the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station appeared to be on tap to receive a new mission—operating MQ-1 Predator or MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. The unit currently flies C-130s. However, while the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 force structure plan, as reflected in this fiscal year's defense authorization act, identified the wing as a unit that would convert to the Reaper, that change is currently on hold due to the limitations imposed by the Fiscal 2012 budget continuing resolution and the looming threat of sequestration, National Guard Bureau spokeswoman Rose Richeson told the Daily Report on Feb. 26. She said the Guard "can't execute an implementation plan at this time" to bring the Reapers to Niagara Falls. The wing is meant to be capable of operating three MQ-9 combat air patrols, said Richeson. Each CAP requires some 140 airmen to operate and deliver actionable intelligence, she said.

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Out of the Public Eye:

Due to the budget sequester, the Air Force has cancelled all aviation support to public events for at least the remainder of Fiscal 2013, and is standing down the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team to preserve flying hours for readiness needs, announced service officials. "Engaging with the public is a core Air Force mission and communicating and connecting with the public is more important today than ever before. However, faced with deep budget cuts, we have no choice but to stop public aviation support," said Brig. Gen. Les Kodlick, Air Force public affairs director, in the service's March 1 release. Effective March 1, Active Duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve units ceased all aviation support at air shows, tradeshows, and open houses, unless the event includes only local static assets; they also stopped flyovers (including at funerals and military graduations), orientation flights, heritage flights, and F-22 demonstration flights, states the release. Cancellation of the Thunderbirds' 2013 flying season takes effect on April 1, according to the release. Thunderbirds and heritage flight crews will complete their certification procedures in case the budget allows resumption of scheduled events in 2013, states the release

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Third Air Force Commander Overturns Sexual Misconduct Conviction:

Third Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin has overturned the conviction of Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, former 31st Fighter Wing inspector general at Aviano AB, Italy, citing lack of sufficient evidence. Franklin rendered this decision in late February. Last November, a military court found Wilkerson guilty of improper sexual conduct with a female civilian base employee. However, "after a careful, lengthy, and thorough deliberation, Lieutenant General Franklin concluded the evidence presented at trial did not amount to proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and he declined to approve the conviction," US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Baldwin told the Daily Report on March 4. Baldwin noted that Franklin "acted within his authority in deciding the conviction should not stand" and "would not have performed his duties had he taken any other course of action." Authorities released Wilkerson from confinement on Feb. 26. Baldwin said Air Force officials are now determining Wilkerson's next assignment and whether he will receive a promotion to the rank of colonel. "We're working closely with Air Force headquarters to complete these actions as quickly as possible," he said. Baldwin emphasized that Franklin "does not personally know" nor does he recall "ever interacting in any social setting" with Wilkerson.

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Walking a Knife's Edge:

Sequestration and the spending cuts initially imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act have put the Air Force in a place where it is now "walking a knife's edge between being able to maintain readiness or not," Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The service's readiness rates "have been coming down for 10 years consecutively because we've been moving money into modernization accounts" because of the critical need to modernize the force, said Welsh in testimony before the House Appropriations Committee's military construction panel on March 5. However, sequestration changes that approach, he said, as "now we have had to think about taking money out of modernization and putting it back into readiness." Making such planning and programming moves more difficult is the fact that Air Force officials "don't know yet" what the service's topline budget number is going to be for the next 10 years with the sequester, he said. "Until we know that, we can't even help define the specific impact on acquisition programs, modernization programs, infrastructure, numbers of people, force structure," said Welsh.

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TRANSCOM Adjusts to Changing Demands:

US Transportation Command boss Gen. William Fraser said he expects the command's workload to ease as readiness needs and demand signals decline from the regional combatant commands. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on March 6, Fraser said he is working closely with all four military services and TRANSCOM's commercial partners "to mitigate second- and third-order effects of these reductions on our sealift, on our airlift, and surface capabilities." However, he said, as US combat forces continue to drawdown in Afghanistan, there will inevitably be less business for the command's commercial transport partners. "And so, we're working with our partners through executive working groups in both the ground, the air, and the sea lanes . . . to make sure that we have that right balance and they adjust their business plans for the future," said Fraser. He added, "It's a collaborative effort working with industry really across all the various modes of transportation right now."

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Pacific Angel Under Way in Philippines:

Some 55 US military personnel are participating alongside their counterparts in the Philippine armed forces in Operational Pacific Angel-Philippines, a humanitarian-assistance exercise in the southeast Asian nation sponsored by Pacific Air Forces. The six-day exercise runs through March 9, with the two nations planning to provide medical care to local Filipinos and conduct three "engineering civic actions," according to a PACAF release. In preparation for the exercise, a Philippine C-130 loaded with medical supplies landed in Dumaguete City on March 1. US and Philippine service members unloaded the cargo together. "We have already worked diligently together while strengthening our already strong bilateral bond through preparing for the operation itself," said Lt. Col. Alvin Alana, Pacific Angel-Philippines mission commander.