The Air Force will begin conducting C-130 air transport missions that directly support Army-specific operations in Iraq during a two-month test program that begins next week, according to a forward-based military official.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
The Air Force will begin conducting C-130 air transport missions that directly support Army-specific operations in Iraq during a two-month test program that begins next week, according to a forward-based military official.
MARIETTA, GA -- The Air Force could very soon receive guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense laying out a plan for replacing aging Sikorsky HH-60 combat search-and-rescue helicopters, according to an Air Combat Command official.
Defying a White House veto threat, House and Senate conferees today agreed to fully fund the General Electric-Rolls-Royce F-35 Joint Strike Fighter alternative engine program in the fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill, according to a congressional source.
MARIETTA, GA -- The Air Force is progressing with its plans to weaponize its special operations MC-130Ws and could deploy the first aircraft in 2010, according to a service official.
Northrop Grumman officials are crying foul that the Pentagon provided arch-rival Boeing with sensitive pricing data pertaining to Northrop's tanker replacement proposal during the last round of the KC-X competition, which has since been voided.
Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn plans to brief lawmakers this Thursday on the Pentagon's new acquisition strategy for a fleet of Air Force aerial refueling tankers, a move that marks the relaunch of a $35 billion, winner-take-all competition between aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus, whose parent company EADS is partnered with Northrop Grumman.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced this morning that the Air Force will run the much coveted $35 billion KC-X next-generation tanker program.
It will cost the Air Force up to $6 billion per year late in the next decade to maintain its aging fleet of KC-135 tankers, according to a senior service official.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said today the service is recommending killing the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program, noting that a severe cost increase suffered two years ago doomed the effort.
Hawker Beechcraft and Lockheed Martin are expected to announce this afternoon that they have teamed to pitch the AT-6B for the Air Force’s light-attack/armed reconnaissance aircraft competition.
The Pentagon will release the request for proposals for the much-anticipated, next-generation tanker program in two weeks, Inside the Air Force has learned.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said today the Pentagon still prefers a single engine manufacturer for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, despite a failure during a recent test of the Pratt & Whitney F135 prime power plant.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Boeing announced today it would simplify how it builds a KC-767 tanker aircraft, opting to use already certified components in an attempt to lower the risk in its bid to build new Air Force aerial refueling aircraft.
Former Air Force acquisition executive Sue Payton today acknowledged the requirements used during the last round of the service's embattled KC-X tanker replacement competition were not sufficient.
The Senate Appropriations Committee intends to include a provision in its version of the fiscal year 2010 defense budget encouraging the Air Force to develop an exportable version of the Lockheed Martin F-22A fighter, according to documents obtained by Inside the Air Force.
The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee is expected to mark up the fiscal year 2010 defense spending bill soon after arriving back in Washington from the August recess.
The Pentagon will kick off the KC-X tanker competition soon after lawmakers return from their summer recess in the coming weeks, according to the Air Force's top acquisition official.
The Air Force last week conducted a successful test of a Lockheed Martin long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, adding to the weapon's flawless test-flight record, according to a service official.
The Pentagon has established a "tiger team" to study the Air Force's Next-Generation Bomber requirement and make recommendations that will influence the high-profile Quadrennial Defense Review, according to a senior Defense Department official.
Hawker Beechcraft's first AT-6B light-attack plane made its inaugural flight yesterday at the company's Wichita, KS, production facility.