Many Units Depart Persian Gulf
The Air Force moved scores of aircraft, thousands of troops, and hundreds of tons of cargo out of Southwest Asia and back to the United States.

The forces had deployed to the region last fall and winter in response to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's denial of access for United Nations weapons inspectors. Renewed Iraqi compliance with UN requests moved US officials to order units back to home base in the early weeks of June.

"We sent them over because Saddam wasn't complying with the inspection team," said Maj. Ben Beeson, AMC contingencies deputy division chief. "The problem has been fixed, and the politicians have decided we can bring our forces home."

The operation was planned as part of the effort to reduce the overall US troop levels in Southwest Asia from about 37,000 to between 17,000 and 20,000. More than 100 Air Combat Command aircraft are included in the force reduction.

AMC Swings Into Gulf Action
About 600 AMC personnel deployed overseas to help carry out the Gulf redeployment operation. They ranged from crew chiefs to loadmasters, personnel specialists, and chaplains.

Thirty tanker aircraft, including units from McConnell AFB, Kan., McGuire AFB, N.J., and Selfridge ANGB, Mich., supported the redeployment. Officials predicted the tankers would fly nearly 100 refueling missions before all the US bomber and fighter aircraft made their way home.

Tankers refueled six F-117 stealth fighters 27 times as they flew from the Kuwaiti region to the East Coast of the US, for instance. The tankers-both KC-135s and KC-10s-provided a continuous escort for the F-117s.

Among the dozens of airlifters involved in the redeployment were eight C-17s from the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, S.C.

Lajes Field, Azores, was a crucial staging base for the C-17s. Efficient support staff at Lajes ensured that crews were quickly shuttled to beds for needed rest, while an experienced fuels distribution staff, almost all Portuguese nationals, cut layover times.

Fighter aircraft also moved through Lajes. In the period June 4­5, 36 F-15s and F-16s returned home through a base sometimes referred to as "The Crossroads of the Atlantic."

NATO Aircraft Stage Determined Falcon
On June 15, 85 aircraft from 13 NATO nations took to the skies in the Balkans to carry out Operation Determined Falcon, a show of force meant to contain violence in Kosovo.

"This is a very vivid demonstration of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's ability to rapidly project power in the region," said USAF Lt. Gen. Michael C. Short, commander of Allied Air Forces Southern Europe.

The operation involved NATO jets patrolling Yugoslavia's borders with Albania and Macedonia. Twenty-two fighters, including 12 US F-16s, two Portuguese F-16s, and eight Spanish EF-18s, kicked off the exercise by departing Aviano AB, Italy, at 8 a.m. local time and flying over the Adriatic Sea toward the southern Balkans.

This initial flight was joined by fighters from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Holland, Norway, Turkey, and the UK. Departure points were 15 bases in six European countries. The 5th Allied Tactical Air Force Combined Air Operations Center at Vicenza, Italy, was responsible for running the show.

"This is a new look at NATO," said Short. "Now you have an organization that is postured to respond out of the region and out of area."

According to NATO headquarters, the jets flew over the airspace of Macedonia and Albania, then edged to within 10 miles of the Yugoslav border.

Since late February, Yugoslavia's strongman president, Slobodan Milosevic, has been running a military assault in an effort to crush ethnic Albanian fighters who are seeking independence for Kosovo, a province of Serbia, Yugoslavia's dominant republic.

While NATO nations do not support Kosovo independence, they have been appalled by Milosevic's brutality. At least 250 people had been killed in the fighting through early June.

The Albanian capital of Tirana shook with the roar of fighters during the middle of the exercise. Many residents of the poverty-stricken nation expressed support for the airplanes, which they felt demonstrated world support for their embattled ethnic brothers. Others simply marveled at the overflights, as they had never seen jets before.

USAF Pushes Gun for JSF
The US Air Force still wants a gun mounted on the Joint Strike Fighter, despite the demurs of other services that will also buy the aircraft.

"The Air Force position now is we support a gun in the aircraft," said Harry C. Disbrow Jr., USAF's deputy director of operational requirements, at an American Helicopter Society convention in Washington on May 21.

Air Force officials have yet to decide exactly what kind of gun they want. The F-15's 20 mm weapon probably would not be powerful enough to meet all mission requirements, they said. The A-10's 30 mm gun would likely be too heavy. A compromise caseless 25 mm version is possible.

The Navy, for its part, considers the gun an option. Rear Adm. Dennis V. McGinn, director of Navy air warfare, noted at the same forum that the cost of individual items on service wish lists, such as the gun, needs to be thoroughly explored before proceeding.

The Marine Corps believes a gun would be useful for some JSF missions but not others. Marine officials are particularly concerned about adding unnecessary weight to their short takeoff/vertical landing JSF variant, said Lt. Gen. Terrence R. Dake, head of Marine Corps aviation.

JSF Engine Completes First Test
On June 11, the first model of Pratt & Whitney's F119-derived engine for Lockheed Martin's version of the Joint Strike Fighter successfully completed an initial test run at Pratt & Whitney's facilities in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The test marked a major step forward for the JSF Concept Demonstration Program, which began in November 1996.

"This engine run is another positive milestone in our program to demonstrate Joint Strike Fighter technologies with the X-35 demonstrator aircraft," said Frank Cappuccio, Lockheed Martin's vice president and program director for the JSF.

The JSF 119-PW-611 engine is a derivative of the F119 power plant for the F-22 Raptor. Among the modifications made to the basic model for Lockheed Martin JSF purposes are a larger fan and an axisymmetric exhaust nozzle.

Different JSF variants will, in turn, have their own engine model. The power plant will be coupled with a shaft-driven lift fan system to augment vertical thrust for the short takeoff/vertical landing JSF configuration that Lockheed Martin is developing for the Marine Corps and the UK's Royal Navy, for instance.

Some 200 hours of risk reduction testing undertaken by Lockheed Martin in 1995 and 1996 have already successfully demonstrated the shaft-driven lift fan concept, said contractor officials.

USAF Pushes Airborne Laser
The Air Force moved quickly to try to convince senators that the Senate Armed Services Committee made a mistake when it cut $97 million from the budget of the Airborne Laser theater missile defense system.

In a May letter to Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), Gen. Michael E. Ryan, Air Force Chief of Staff, stated that the move would derail the Administration's plans for a crucial mission: theater missile defense. The Air Force's Space Based Laser program is not a replacement for ABL, said Ryan, as some lawmakers appear to believe. SBL will address strategic National Missile Defense needs and will not reach operational maturity until 15 years after possible ABL deployment.

USAF Tests Anti-Missile Laser
On June 3, a team of contractors working on a laser intended to shoot down ballistic missiles in flight successfully completed a "first light" test of an important laser module in USAF's Airborne Laser program.

Team ABL-Boeing, TRW, and Lockheed Martin-conducted the test of the Flight-weighted Laser Module at TRW's Capistrano Test Site near San Clemente, Calif. The experiment was conducted under the auspices of a $1.1 billion program definition and risk reduction contract awarded in November 1996 by USAF's ABL System Program Office, Kirtland AFB, N.M.

The FLM, a chemical oxygen iodine laser with multihundred-kilowatt power, is a foundation technology for the ABL system. It was run successfully at increasing levels of power several times through the first week of June, said Air Force officials.

Based on this test and tests last year that showed the ABL system could track a missile in flight, USAF officials gave a "green light" June 26 to begin finalizing the system's design.

If all goes as planned, the first test firing of the actual ABL, designated Attack Laser aircraft, will take place in 2002.

Last ICBM Leaves Grand Forks
The last of 150 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles assigned to the 321st Missile Group was removed from North Dakota soil June 3. With the departure of its last Minuteman III, the 321st moved one step closer to a July 2 inactivation ceremony after standing guard in the high northern plains of America for more than three decades.

"For 34 years, we have had ICBMs out here in the fields of eastern North Dakota," said Col. Edward Rausch, group commander, during the June ceremony. "They stood as a deterrent to any adversary in the world that might consider challenging the peace and freedom that we enjoy. These missiles did their job."

Some 120 of the 321st's ICBMs have been transferred from Grand Forks AFB, N.D., to Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Thirty have been shipped to a depot in Utah for use in test launches.

The transfer was mandated as part of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

Guard, Reserve Get Green Cards
On June 20, the Pentagon began honoring a pledge made by Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen last year that ID cards for all active duty, Guard, and Reserve US military service members will be one color-green.

The move away from red cards for reservists is meant to eliminate barriers, both structural and cultural, between the components of the Total Force, according to defense officials.

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs Charles L. Cragin handed out the first green cards at a joint reserve promotion and reenlistment ceremony at Ft. Dix, N.J., on June 20. The changeover is to be fully implemented over five years.

Though ID card color is changing, there will be no associated changes to current service benefits, privileges, or entitlements, unless a change in status occurs, noted officials. Some 1.5 million members of the Selected Reserve, the Individual Ready Reserve, and the active Standby Reserve will eventually receive new cards.

Air Guard Faces Aging Issues
The first of the Air National Guard's older F-16s face grounding next year due to age, and ANG leaders have to decide what, if anything, they are going to do about it.

Choices range from a mini­Service Life Extension Program, through a mid-life update, to purchase of new aircraft. The SLEP, while the cheapest option, would simply keep the current force up and running, without adding capability, ANG officials note. The update would cost more money-and purchase of all new aircraft would cost the most money of all.

The last of ANG's F-16As are now scheduled for removal from service by 2005.

Tricare Dental Fees Rise
The monthly premium for the Tricare Active Duty Family Member Dental Plan will go up slightly Aug. 1, 1998. The premium increase will be reflected in July 1998 leave and earnings statements.

Cost of a single enrollment, currently $7.64 a month, will increase to $8.09. Cost of a family enrollment, now $19.09, will reach $20. This amount, which is deducted from active duty members' paychecks, represents 40 percent of the total cost of the dental plan. The other 60 percent is paid for directly by the government.

Dental program contractor United Concordia Companies, Inc., proposed the premium increases to cover expected increases in costs. Government contracting officials subsequently accepted the hikes.

Reapers Named Best Air Superiority Unit
The "Grim Reapers," officially known as the 493d Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, UK, received the Hughes Trophy June 12 for winning the title of best air defense/air superiority fighter squadron in the US Air Force for 1997.

The F-15C Eagle squadron picked up its award at a ceremony in Cambridge, UK. It marks the first time in 10 years that a US Air Forces in Europe unit has won the coveted title.

"This award reflects a lot of hard work and dedication from the entire 493d Fighter Squadron team," said Lt. Col. Mark Barrett, 493d FS commander.

All Air Force air defense/air superiority squadrons, from the National Guard to Air Combat Command, compete for the Hughes Trophy annually. Units are graded on operational performance, organizational readiness inspection results, training exercise participation, unit achievements and awards, individual achievements and awards, and unit incentive programs.

Among the reasons for the 493d's winning effort was its 288 combat sorties flown over northern Iraq in support of Operation Northern Watch. The squadron also completed eight deployments to contingencies and exercises around the world, from Canada's Maple Flag to African Eagle in Morocco.

The Hughes Trophy is sponsored by Raytheon Systems Corp.

New Chocks Save Money, Maybe Engines
The 93d Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., is the first unit in the Air Force to receive a set of large aircraft composite wheel chocks for a six-month test.

The YF-22 Raptor at Edwards AFB, Calif., is testing a similar type of chock but in a smaller version, said Lee R. Sink, logistics program manager at Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.

The new chocks should last five to 10 times longer than their traditional wooden counterparts, according to Sink. Wooden chocks become sodden from rain and snow and deteriorate in only nine to 18 months. They have to be painted often to keep them from falling apart even faster.

The composite chocks, made from recycled plastic, are about 20 pounds lighter than wood. They are also unlikely to become a potential source of Foreign Object Damage.

Trading Eagles
Over the next six months, the 33d Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla., will swap 42 F-15Cs with the 3d Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.

The reason for the trade is to simplify logistics by standardizing the engine type at each base. The 33d FW will be giving up airplanes powered by F100-PW-220 engines and receiving aircraft outfitted with F100-PW-100 power plants in return.

"The -220 is the newer engine and has more sophisticated electrical components than the -100s we will receive," said SMSgt. Randy Duty, the 33d FW propulsion flight production superintendent. "But having only one type of engine will greatly simplify the maintenance process."

Deployment will also become easier and cheaper. The transfer is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 24.

News Notes

• Three Air National Guard para-rescuemen saved an Italian sailor from a 55-foot sailboat 1,000 miles east of Bermuda June 5. After parachuting 3,500 feet, the three Guardsmen-MSgt. Steven Arrigotti and SSgts. Kenneth Smith and Jeff Baker, all from the 106th Rescue Wing, Francis S. Gabreski IAP, N.Y.-found the sailor suffering from internal bleeding. They stabilized the patient and transferred him to a nearby supertanker.
• Lt. Col. Scott Schroeder, an instructor pilot with the 560th Fighter Training Squadron from Randolph AFB, Texas, won the gold medal at the International Skeet World Cup Competition in Atlanta May 16-17. The US earned an Olympic skeet shooting slot at the 2000 Olympics in Australia by virtue of Schroeder's performance.
• A bomb threat temporarily
• grounded an Air Force C-141 May 29. The plane, carrying 14 crew members and 79 Air Force Reservists, took off from NAS Fort Worth JRB at Carswell Field, Texas, en route to Harrisburg, Pa., but was forced to land at Scott AFB, Ill., after the Texas base received a phoned-in bomb threat. The threat turned out to be a false alarm.
• The Jan. 7 midair collision of two F-16s at Hill AFB, Utah, was caused by pilot error, according to an Air Force accident investigation report. The two pilots-who both survived- "failed to use proper 'see and avoid' techniques to ensure a clear flight path while entering and leaving" a practice engagement, according to the report.
• An assistant staff judge advocate from F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., is the sole Air Force winner of the American Bar Association's 1998 Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Distinguished Service Award. Capt. Aaron E. Kornblum earned the award for significant contributions to the civil legal assistance of service members and their families.
• On June 3, Maj. Lee J. Archambault, assistant operations officer for the 39th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., moved a big step closer to the fulfillment of a long-held dream when NASA informed him of his selection to the astronaut candidate class of 1998. Archambault, along with 24 other military and civilian selectees, will arrive at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, in mid-August to begin one year of training and evaluation.
• On June 15, two Air Force Reserve aircrews from the 446th Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Wash., guided rescuers to a private pilot downed in a remote Oregon forest. The crews first relayed distress calls from 68-year-old Patricia Burrell, of Bend, Ore., to air traffic controllers. After Burrell crash-landed her Cessna on a narrow road, the Air Force crews searched for her and circled the area in their C-141s until help arrived.
• Robert L. Jones, a former Army veteran with assignments in infantry, airborne, ranger, and special forces units, is the new deputy assistant secretary of defense for prisoners of war/missing personnel affairs. Jones, 54, was sworn into office May 10. He also served as a ground liaison officer with the Air Force's 50th Tactical Fighter Wing and flew some 200 hours in F-4 aircraft.
• A Defense Department-wide survey has found that 47.5 percent of all US military installations have only one fitness center and that 22 percent of all fitness facilities are rated in poor condition. The survey was conducted under the auspices of "Operation Be Fit," a DoD initiative to place renewed emphasis on the physical fitness of the entire military community.
• On May 29, Air Force Space Command turned over control of its weather satellites to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as directed by President Clinton in 1994. The merger creates the most technologically advanced weather sensing system in the world and promises major savings for the Air Force in the future, officials said.
• The Army's new AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter debuted in a demonstration conducted at Ft. Hood, Texas, on June 12. The craft's sophisticated radar and electronics are intended to feed real-time target data to commanders and other attack units in its immediate area.
• The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle helicopter that is intended to be able to stay aloft for more than 24 hours, according to Jane's Defence Weekly.