News from the Air Force

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Eighty-two F-16Ds Grounded for Structural Cracks

The Air Force has grounded 82 of its two-seat F-16D Fighting Falcons due to structural cracks discovered on the canopy sill between the front and rear pilot seats. Cracks found on one aircraft during a routine post-flight check led to an immediate action time compliance technical order to inspect all 157 F-16Ds. The inspections found cracks in the canopy sill longeron in 82 aircraft. The remaining 75 D models were restored to flight status as of Aug. 18. Air Force F-16 Systems Program Office and Lockheed Martin engineers are analyzing the F-16 structures and developing repair procedures to allow a limited return to flight by the affected aircraft until a permanent fix can be made. "As aircraft accumulate flight hours, cracks develop due to fatigue from sustained operations," Lt. Col. Steve Grotjohn, deputy chief of the Weapon Systems Division, said in an Air Force release. "Fortunately, we have a robust maintenance, inspection, and structural integrity program to discover and repair deficiencies as they occur." The F-16Ds are used primarily for flight training by Air Education and Training Command and the Air National Guard. Air Force officials are working with the operational units to mitigate the impact of the grounding.

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Senators Seeks Investigation into Academy's Handling of Sexual Assaults

Two US senators are asking the Pentagon's Special Counsel and Inspector General to investigate allegations that Air Force Academy officials retaliated against an Air Force investigator and a cadet who disclosed sexual assaults by academy football players. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) sent letters to the two watchdog offices urging independent investigations of what they called "very serious allegations of wrongdoing" at the academy. The letters came in response to a letter to members of Congress from Air Force SSgt. Brandon Enos who said his superiors at the academy shut down his investigation, took away his investigator's badge, and said he would be kicked out of the service. Academy officials also expelled Cadet Eric Thomas, who had worked as an informant for Enos in his 2013 investigation, which led to successful prosecution of several academy players. Thomas was expelled for leaving base without permission and being present during underage drinking, but Thomas said he was punished for his role in Enos' investigation. The academy has denied those claims.

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Hickam C-17 Dubbed "Spirit of Daniel Inouye"

A C-17 assigned to JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, was formally dedicated as the "Spirit of Daniel Inouye," the late veteran Hawaii senator and Medal of Honor recipient, during a ceremony at the base last week. Of the Air Force's 223 C-17s only five are named in honor of specific individuals, said Col. Randall Huiss, the 15th Wing commander, in a release. Tail number 5147 was renamed in an Aug. 19 ceremony to honor Inouye's contributions to Hawaii, and his work to support the US military during his tenure in the Senate. Inouye served in the US Army during WWII with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe, and was nearly fatally wounded. He was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for bravery and heroism, which was upgraded to a Medal of Honor in 2000. Elected as Hawaii's first representative, he went on to serve nine terms in the Senate before his death in 2012. "We are a nation bound by principles and ideas and Sen. Inouye dedicated his life to those principles," said Maj. Gen. Paul McGillicuddy, Pacific Air Forces vice commander, during the renaming ceremony.

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Moody Selected as Afghan A-29 Training Site

​The Air Force has selected Moody AFB, Ga., to be the US training location for the Afghan air force's A-29 pilots and maintainers. The service recently completed the assessment of the environmental impact of establishing the mission at the Georgia base, clearing the way for the final basing decision, according to an Aug. 22 release. Over the next four years, Moody will be the site for 20 A-29s, 17 Air Force instructor pilots, 24 maintenance and support personnel, and 30 Afghan pilots and 90 maintainers, states the release. Training is expected to begin in February 2015. "We look forward to supporting this important mission that will continue to develop the capabilities of the Afghanistan air force," said Col. Chad Franks, Moody's 23rd Wing commander. The Air Force opted for Moody "because of the availability of the airfield, airspace, and suitable facilities," said Timothy Bridges, the service's deputy assistant secretary for installations. It had also considered Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, and Shaw AFB, S.C., for this training mission.

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The Beagles are Back

The renowned World War II American Beagle Squadron recently was reactivated during a ceremony at Tyndall AFB, Fla. During the Aug. 22 ceremony, the 325th Operations Group Adversary Air program became the 2nd Fighter Training Squadron. "The second was chosen because it has historical ties to Tyndall," said Lt. Col. Derek Wyler, 2nd FTS commander, in a base release. "I am honored and excited to take command of a squadron with such a long, rich history ... " The squadron flies T-38 Talons against the base's F-22 Raptor in flight training, which takes some of the pressure off of the aging F-22 fleet and helps cut costs—thousands of dollars for each hour flown, according to the release. "The Air Force is not getting any more F-22s," said Wyler. "Every hour we fly on that airplane is an hour that we never get back. If we can save all those hours for mission training, it preserves the lifespan of those airplanes."

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Massachusetts Guard Pilot Killed in F-15C Crash

Officials confirmed late Thursday that the pilot of the F-15C that crashed Wednesday in western Virginia was killed. The name of the Massachusetts Air National Guard pilot was not released late Thursday pending next of kin notification. He was assigned to the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes ANGB, Mass. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and we are doing all we can to support them during this very difficult time," said 104th FW Commander Col. James Keefe in an Aug. 28 release. "We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family and allow them the time they need to grieve." The aircraft was on a solo, cross-country flight to NAS New Orleans to receive a system upgrade when the pilot reported an in-flight emergency shortly before losing radio contact around 9 a.m. on Aug. 27, states the release. Officials have not said whether the pilot ejected from the aircraft or what caused the crash. An official safety investigation board is being convened, states the release.

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Massachusetts Guard Pilot Killed in F-15C Crash

Officials confirmed late Thursday that the pilot of the F-15C that crashed Wednesday in western Virginia was killed. The name of the Massachusetts Air National Guard pilot was not released late Thursday pending next of kin notification. He was assigned to the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes ANGB, Mass. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and we are doing all we can to support them during this very difficult time," said 104th FW Commander Col. James Keefe in an Aug. 28 release. "We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the family and allow them the time they need to grieve." The aircraft was on a solo, cross-country flight to NAS New Orleans to receive a system upgrade when the pilot reported an in-flight emergency shortly before losing radio contact around 9 a.m. on Aug. 27, states the release. Officials have not said whether the pilot ejected from the aircraft or what caused the crash. An official safety investigation board is being convened, states the release.

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Spotlight: TSgt. Latoria R. Ellis


​TSgt. Latoria R. Ellis, contracting team lead* with the 502nd Contracting Squadron at JBSA-Lackland, Texas, is one of the Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2014. Ellis led a 25-member team that completed 86 contracts for Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, the Air Force's largest medical wing. She spearheaded a $2 million energy savings acquisition, retrofitting 19 buildings with solar panels, reducing the utility bill and saving the Air Force $600,000 a year. She steered a $1.9 million generator efficiency project, replacing 33 percent of defective grids in military family housing, reducing output by 14 percent, and saving the Air Force $24,000 a year. She completed 223 hours of training at the Noncommissioned Officer Academy, garnering her distinguished graduate and academic achievement awards. Ellis was named Air Education and Training Command's NCO of the Year out of 13,039 noncommissioned officers. Air Force Magazine is shining the spotlight on each OAY in the days leading up to AFA's Air & Space Conference that starts on Sept. 15 in National Harbor, Md. AFA will honor these airmen there.

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TSgt. Ryan E. Gangadeen

​TSgt. Ryan E. Gangadeen, the noncommissioned-officer-in-charge of operations training* at the 1st Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo., is one of the Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2014. During a one-year deployment to Afghanistan, Gangadeen served as the lead professional military education advisor to the Afghan Air Force, helping to guide the creation of the AAF training regimen. He quickly responded to a vehicle-born improvised explosive device threat, ensuring the safe return of 33 coalition and 22 civilians to Kabul International Airport. As a certified convoy vehicle commander, he led seven outside-the-wire NATO mobility missions, securing 18 members with zero incidents. During the deployment, Gangadeen directed 44 AAF courses for 60 career fields. He evaluated four maintenance training contracts worth $527 million, revealed six duplicate contractual requirements, and saved $40 million. Air Force Magazine is shining the spotlight on each OAY in the days leading up to AFA's Air & Space Conference that starts on Sept. 15 in National Harbor, Md. AFA will honor these airmen there .

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Al Qaeda Publication Cites Air Force Academy as Terrorist Target

​An English-language online publication produced by al Qaeda has cited the US Air Force Academy as a desirable target for a terrorist attack, among an array of American and international facilities and institutions. The 40-page publication, released Aug. 16 on Twitter, includes photos of injured children, a list of past "Jihadi Operations," and a shopping list and step-by-step instructions for making bombs, reported The Gazette newspaper of Colorado Springs, Colo. Academy officials released a statement saying: "We are aware that the Air Force Academy is mentioned in a recent online publication. We remain vigilant and maintain all appropriate protocols of a military installation to include force protection and being cognizant of existing and emerging threats." They said the primary concern remains the security and safety of the cadets, our personnel," and academy visitors. Other US targets listed by the terrorist publication include casinos and night clubs in Las Vegas, the Georgia Military College, Times Square in New York City, the General Atomics headquarters in San Diego, which directs remotely piloted vehicle production, oil tankers, and trains. Foreign targets include the British Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and resorts frequented by Israeli, British, or American tourists.

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Proposed Budgets Show A Shift to Airpower

The Air Force is the only one of the four armed services that would receive a real increase in funding in the Fiscal 2015 budget that is awaiting congressional action. Air Force funding would increase even more the next year, under the Obama Administration's proposals. Those increases, while less than 1 percent in 2015 and 8.5 percent the next year, reflect a shift "to airpower from land power" after 13 years of ground combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Todd Harrison, a defense analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, on Thursday. Harrison cautioned, however, that although the 2015 funding matches the spending caps set by the 2011 Budget Control Act, the 2016 proposal is above the limits and would be in danger unless Congress agrees to end the budget reductions under the sequestration process. The spending caps also could affect procurement funding, which is projected to increase in future years, while personnel, operations and maintenance, and research would drop or remain essentially flat, Harrison said. Reduced procurement funding would affect the Air Force's three highest acquisition priorities: the F-35A strike fighter, the KC-46 tanker, and the Long-Range Strike Bomber, which are among the five most expensive programs in the future budgets.

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Rosecrans Adds C-130H Weapons Instructor Course

The Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Mo., is adding a C-130H weapons instructor course to its curriculum, according to a release. Rosecrans is home of the Missouri Air Guard's 139th Airlift Wing. The doctorate-level course is designed to teach tactics and leadership to C-130H pilots and navigators. Upon completion of the six-month course, they "will take key positions" in Air Guard and Air Force Reserve wings around the nation, "making our C-130 fleet stronger and more capable," said Army Maj. Gen. Steve Danner, Missouri National Guard adjutant general. He announced in late August that the course was coming to Rosecrans. The center will offer two WICs a year, beginning in February 2015, with each course having six students, states the release. The center is expected to add some 30 new positions for the course. The instructors will come from the Active Duty component, Air Guard, and Reserve.

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Air Force Needs to Evaluate Efforts against Sexual Misconduct, GAO Says

​The Air Force has fully or partially implemented all but one of the 46 recommendations from an Air Education and Training Command report on how to prevent, investigate, and respond to sexual assaults and sexual misconduct. However, the service has not instituted a method to evaluate the effectiveness of its corrective actions, according to a Government Accountability Office report, released Sept. 9. "Without fully establishing an oversight framework for evaluating the effectiveness of its actions to prevent sexual assaults during basic training, the Air Force will not know whether to sustain the efforts it has implemented or undertake different actions," states the report. AETC ordered a command investigation in 2012 after 34 basic military training instructors at JBSA-Lackland, Texas, were implicated in sexual assaults or other improper sexual actions with recruits. The resulting report recommended 46 actions intended to stop sexual misconduct, to deal with violators, and better serve the victims. GAO investigated Air Force's response and found it had fully implemented 36 of the recommendations, partially implemented six, and took no action on one. GAO recommended the Air Force establish an oversight framework to evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts.

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Vigilant Eagle Canceled Due to Russian Aggression in Ukraine

A multilateral exercise with the US, Canada, and Russia has been cancelled because of Russia's continued military aggression in Ukraine, reported ABC News via the Associated Press. This year's exercise would have marked the sixth year for Vigilant Eagle, typically conducted near Alaska in August or September. During last year's exercise, which utilized both US and Russian airspace, Canadian CF-18s and Russian Sukhois scrambled to identify and follow a "hijacked" aircraft. Air Force and Russian command and control aircraft also participated. Alaska's News Miner newspaper reported that the 2014 exercise would have included the Japan Self Defense Force for the first time.

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Boots In The Air

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James gave a four-point summary Monday of the service's role in President Obama's declared effort to degrade and destroy ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Giving the keynote address at AFA's Air & Space Conference at National Harbor, Md., James said the Air Force will "secure the battlefield as we eradicate, over time, this cancerous terrorist network." First, USAF will conduct "systematic airstrikes" against the terrorists and "create space on the ground for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to go on the offense." USAF has conducted "the lion's share" of airstrikes and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sorties so far, said James. In addition, USAF has flown up to 30 refueling sorties a day. Second, Obama "intends to increase our support to forces fighting on the ground," through Air Force ISR and cyber forces, which have "already used remotely piloted aircraft and precision-guided munitions" to conduct "pinpoint strikes on targets around the Mosul Dam." Third, USAF counterterrorism forces will work to prevent ISIS attacks, by coordinating with other parts of the US intelligence community. Fourth, "our humanitarian … effort will not stop," as demonstrated by C-130s and C-17s already having airdropped thousands of tons of food and water to tens of thousands of refugees. "For all the talk about 'boots on the ground,'" James said, she's thankful "we have boots in the air."

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Too Many Blows Already

The Air Force "has taken too many blows already" to its readiness due to budget instability, said Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall on Wednesday. "The men and women of the US Air Force have coped with all of these challenges with remarkable grit, ingenuity, and dedication," he said at AFA's Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. "But there are limits to what we can ask airmen … to do with quick fixes and stopgap measures. They deserve better. You deserve better," he said to the airmen and guests assembled for his keynote address. If budget sequestration returns in Fiscal 2016, the Air Force's readiness would continue to erode, eating into traditional advantages the service has enjoyed over potential opponents, such as giving its fighter pilots more time in the cockpit for training each year, he said. "Today, even with temporary relief from sequestration, a constrained budget leaves most of our fighter pilots flying an average of 160 training hours per year, about half the hours they flew a decade ago," said Kendall. "Their Chinese and Russian counterparts, meanwhile, are moving to the opposite direction, some averaging more than 100 hours a year, and elite squadrons flying up to 200," he said.

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The T-X is In

After countless attempts to get a replacement for the T-38 Talon, the T-X trainer program is finally in the Air Force budget that just went to the Pentagon leadership, Air Education and Training Command chief Gen. Robin Rand said Wednesday. "The Chief and the Secretary insisted" the T-X be part of the Future Years Defense Plan, Rand said in remarks at AFA's Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md. While he couldn't specify the amount requested, Rand said it will grow rapidly in the coming years, and is aimed toward providing a capability in the early 2020s. Requirements are being developed now—very much in partnership with industry—and will be completed next summer, Rand reported. The T-X will have other roles besides undergraduate pilot training, but those—such as lead-in fighter training, service as an Aggressor aircraft, for example—are still being hashed out, Rand said. USAF will be "as transparent as we can" with industry to ensure the requirements are thoroughly understood, he said, but he denied there is any preference for an off-the-shelf solution. The successful airplane will have to provide a good "bridge" for students going on to fifth generation F-22 and F-35 fighters, he added. It will also have to play in the live-virtual-constructive training systems now being developed.

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USAF's Got Cyber Game

The Air Force's space and cyber capabilities in combat are so lethal that it's not safe to practice with them in wargames, said Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Hostage. Speaking at AFA's Air & Space Conference last week, Hostage told reporters he has to limit the role played by space and cyber forces during exercises. If they were allowed to play for the whole drill, "somebody's going to get hurt," Hostage said. "They are so effective that they would negate the red air's ability to do much of anything" in a Red Flag-type exercise, "and we wouldn't get the air training that we're spending a lot of money to get." Unleashed, cyber warriors can "blind the adversary, … make them run together," and reduce the number of enemies the physical forces have to fight. His push toward more simulated Red Flag-type wargames will "let the aviators learn the impact, the strength of what (space and cyber) can do," he said.

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Line of Demarcation

The Air Force expects next fiscal year to finish determining which components of its ICBM infrastructure will fall under the Minuteman III weapon system under a new sustainment model, said Maj. Gen. Sandra Finan, Air Force Nuclear Warfare Center commander. "That might sound like an easy task, but it is absolutely not," she said on Sept. 16 during the nuclear panel discussion at AFA's Air & Space Conference outside of Washington, D.C. Sustaining the Minuteman III as a unified weapon system with a central funding pool—as opposed to multiple, disjointed funding accounts—will save money and increase the efficiency of keeping the decades-old MMIIIs viable for their remaining service life, she said. As part of the demarcation process, service officials must decide myriad issues like whether the blast doors at the top of the MMIII silos will be part of the weapon system or end up maintained under a separate funding stream, she told Air Force Magazine. Maintaining the MMIII fleet requires innovation, said Finan. Take, for example, the fuse on the MMIII's Mk-21 reentry vehicle. "It was never designed for refurbishment, but we, in fact, saved $2 billion by creating a refurbishment process to keep that Mk-21 fuse viable," she said.

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Syria Strikes Include F-22 Debut

No coalition aircraft were lost in a series of "very successful" strikes against a range of terrorist targets in Syria and Iraq Monday night, Joint Staff Director of Operations Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville reported Tuesday during a Pentagon press conference. Mayville confirmed the F-22 Raptor participated in the strikes, hitting an ISIS command and control center in Syria during its combat debut. Other US platforms launching strikes included F-15Es, F-16s, F/A-18s, as well as B-1B bombers, unidentified "drones," and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles; more than 40 of which were fired collectively from the USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea. Raw footage also showed F/A-18 and EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft launching from the carrier USS George H. W. Bush. Mayville said the strikes took place in three waves, beginning at about 8:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 22. The first wave included the TLAMs, which struck ISIS targets in the vicinity of Aleppo, Syria. The second wave, conducted at about 9 p.m. EST, included the F-22s, F-15s, B-1s, and F-16s, striking ISIS headquarters, "training camps, barracks, and combat vehicles," Mayville said. Carrier-based aircraft from the Persian Gulf and "regionally based" F-16s made up the third wave, which launched around midnight EST, and focused on "targets in Eastern Syria, to include ISIL training camps and combat vehicles" in the area around Dayr az-Zawr. Coalition partners flew combat missions in the second and third waves, Mayville reported, but he declined to specify allied contributions, referring such questions to partner countries. He also said some targets were struck in Iraq, but didn't provide details. US aircraft dropped the "preponderance" of munitions expended, he said.