SSgt. Dustin W. Peters, 25, was killed July 11 when the Army convoy in which he was riding in Iraq was hit by an “improvised explosive device,” according to a USAF news release.

Peters, a native of El Dorado, Kan., was attached to the Army’s 494th Truck Company at Balad AB, Iraq. He had deployed from Little Rock AFB, Ark., to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing in February. He was on his fourth deployment since arriving at Little Rock in November 2000.

Pilot Killed in Midair Collision

Air National Guard Maj. William E. Burchett, of Arlington, Tenn., died May 17 when his F-16 collided with another Falcon during a training mission over the Indiana-Illinois border.
The pilot of the second fighter, ANG Maj. Thomas R. Sims, was injured when he ejected, but he was treated and released.

Both pilots were with the Indiana ANG’s 181st Fighter Wing, Hulman Arpt., Ind. Burchett, who was an Air Force Academy graduate, had more than 2,300 flying hours in F-4, F-16, and T-38 aircraft.

Officials are investigating the cause of the accident.

Missouri ANG First To Fly F-15Cs

The Missouri Air National Guard will become the first ANG unit to fly C model F-15s when the newer Eagles are sent to the 131st Fighter Wing at Lambert-St. Louis Airport this fall.

The F-15Cs will replace the A models the wing has flown since 1991.

“We’re scheduled to get the first ones in the August-September time frame,” Col. Mike G. Brandt, wing commander, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He added that the dates have not yet been finalized.

Currently the 131st owns 17 F-15As, which are nearly 30 years old. Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Oregon also have ANG units that fly F-15As.

DOD Creates New Space Office

The Defense Department on May 3 created a new National Security Space Office, combining three existing space offices into a single entity. The office is headed by Air Force Maj. Gen. C. Robert Kehler.

The office consolidates the National Security Space Integration, National Security Space Architect, and Transformational Communications offices.

Kehler, who previously led the NSSI, told Inside the Pentagon that the combination was the “next logical step” in continuing to meet the goals of the 2001 Space Commission.

Vermont May Gain Active Airmen

The Air Force may ask the Vermont Air National Guard to host active duty airmen at the state’s F-16 wing, according to Maj. Gen. Ronald J. Bath, USAF director of strategic planning. Bath noted that Vermont “has an F-16 unit with enough ramp space and infrastructure capacity for more planes.”

The Air Force is considering moving active duty aircrews and maintainers to Vermont and increasing the number of aircraft at the 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington Arpt., Vt. The arrangement would be part of a USAF concept called Future Total Force that is designed to increase combat capability by utilizing active, Guard, and Reserve forces in a different way.

“You can call them blended, integrated, merged, affiliated, associated, or partnered units,” said Bath. The end result is to make the best use of existing resources.

USAF has had associate units, where one component shares aircraft with another component, for several years and has a blended wing, comprised of active and Guard personnel, at Robins AFB, Ga. The Vermont proposal is unique because the state currently does not have any active duty USAF facilities.

Active duty airmen would “blend into the community, as opposed to having the big base infrastructure we are used to,” said Bath.

“Hanoi Taxi” Flies Again

To highlight the end of his 44-year career, Reserve Maj. Gen. Edward J. Mechenbier flew the C-141 dubbed the “Hanoi Taxi” to Vietnam in late May to recover the remains of two servicemen who had been listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War.

The 62-year-old Mechenbier, who had flown aboard the Hanoi Taxi 31 years earlier as a newly released prisoner of war, was the last Vietnam-era POW still serving and the oldest Air Force pilot still flying. He retired June 30.

His POW ordeal began in June 1967 when, on his 113th combat mission, his F-4C Phantom was shot down. He had been targeting the Vu Chu railroad complex about 30 miles northeast of Hanoi on that mission, when he was a first lieutenant. He spent nearly six years in the Hoa Lo prison—the notorious “Hanoi Hilton.”

Mechenbier, an Air Force Academy graduate, served in all three Air Force components. He left the active duty force in 1975 and flew with the Ohio Air National Guard for about 16 years, before transferring to the Air Force Reserve in 1991.

USAF Takes UH-1H Training

The Air Force is assuming control of its UH-1H helicopter undergraduate pilot training at Ft. Rucker, Ala. The Army is retiring its UH-1Hs at Ft. Rucker and plans to transfer some to Air Education and Training Command, but the aircraft and flight training mission will remain at the post, where USAF helicopter pilots have trained for 35 years.

AETC officials, who announced the change in June, expect the transfer of helicopters to be complete in September. The Air Force began using a “blue” curriculum in late May. Previously, USAF pilots had been taught using an Army curriculum for half the course, said Maj. Larry Walker, AETC’s program manager for helicopter undergraduate training.

The first phase featured Army contract instructor pilots (IPs) using Army instructions and procedures, said Walker. During the second phase, Air Force IPs took over, using USAF instructions and procedures.

The training will still come in two blocks, but the Army contract IPs will now use Air Force procedures. The change eliminates the transition phase from Army to Air Force procedures that preceded Block II, enabling USAF to add more mission training such as night vision goggle flights.

Walker emphasized: “We’re not doing things better than the Army. The Army trains great pilots. We just train our pilots for different missions.”

Roche Eyes European Systems

Air Force Secretary James G. Roche said recently that US defense industry consolidations left DOD too reliant on a few contractors; consequently, he wants to see increased competition from European manufacturers.

London’s Financial Times reported in June that Roche said EADS previously “was not prepared” to compete with Boeing for USAF’s aerial refueling aircraft business—but now the European conglomerate is.

“I have always wanted to have a situation where you take this trans-Atlantic thing seriously,” Roche said. “It’s the only way we’re going to discipline the big airframe makers in the United States.”

Private Spaceflight Succeeds

On June 21, SpaceShipOne, a privately financed, piloted vehicle competing for the $10 million Ansari X-Prize, reached an altitude of approximately 62 miles. The event marked the first manned spaceflight not backed by a government.

The 90-minute flight originated and ended at Mojave Arpt., Calif. The spacecraft, which was flown by test pilot Michael W. Melvill, was carried aloft by a mother ship named White Knight, a twin turbojet research aircraft, which first flew in August 2002. White Knight released SpaceShipOne at nearly 50,000 feet.

After separation, Melvill fired the hybrid rocket on the bug-shaped spacecraft, which then ascended at Mach 3 to 62.2 miles, as verified by ground-based radar. A trim problem during the flight caused Melvill to begin his descent 22 miles off course, but he was able to correct and return to Mojave. He became the first private pilot to earn astronaut wings.

The spacecraft was designed by Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites company, and the project was financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, who said he had invested about $20 million in the effort.

Although a true spaceflight, the altitude of 62.2 miles missed the X-prize target of 62.5 miles. Rutan said the ship would fly at least two more times to fulfill the prize requirements.

The Ansari X-Prize was established in 1996 to spur the creation of a civilian spaceflight industry. About a dozen teams have been competing for the X-prize, using a wide variety of approaches.

US Drops Immunity Resolution

The United States on June 23 withdrew its effort to secure an extension of immunity from prosecution by the United Nations’ International Criminal Court.

The draft resolution would have covered military personnel from the US and other nations that have not ratified the treaty that created the court, which was set up in 2002. The US secured such a resolution in 2002 and again in 2003, but it expired June 30.

The 2003 resolution had 12 yes votes out of the 15-member UN Security Council. However, this year, the news of the Iraqi prisoner abuses by US personnel created reservations among many council members, according to a State Department news release.

The US decided to forgo “action on the draft at this time in order to avoid a prolonged and divisive debate,” said James B. Cunningham, deputy US ambassador to the UN.

The US had long been concerned that the ICC, as laid out, could leave troops vulnerable to spurious or revenge-motivated trials for alleged war crimes. (See “Disorder in the Court,” October 2002, p. 36.)

Without a new resolution, said Cunningham, the US must “take into account the risk of ICC review when determining contributions to UN authorized or established operations.”
Army Chief Says NK “Vulnerable”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker said in June that South Korea is “exactly the place you don’t want Cold War-style stuff,” because a large, garrison-style army plays to North Korea’s strengths. That is why he favors the proposed cuts to the US presence in South Korea.

“The last thing you want to do with somebody who’s got a million people under arms is to go and try to meet them symmetrically,” Schoomaker told the Defense Writers Group June 15. “What you want to do is make that [standing army] a huge disadvantage for them,” he said. “You want to fight them differently. That’s what we’ve got the capability of doing.”

The US has announced it may reduce its 37,000 troops in South Korea by 12,500. However, the Pentagon is in the process of spending $11 billion to upgrade its force on the Korean peninsula and has made other moves to increase combat power in the region, such as stationing bombers on Guam, within easy striking distance of North Korea.

“The best way to fight is on our terms,” Schoomaker asserted. North Korea’s communist regime is “hugely vulnerable if we fight it our way,” he said.

New Reserve Pay Center Opens

All Guard and Reserve payroll functions will be handled in one location with the opening of the new Reserve Center of Excellence in Cleveland. Defense Finance and Accounting Service officials formally opened the new center June 29.

Payroll actions that were conducted in Denver and Indianapolis are moving to the new center. All pay actions for Guard and Reserve forces, regardless of service, will be under one roof.

Officials noted that the consolidation of reserve payroll operations did not eliminate any jobs in the Denver or Indianapolis facilities.

Navy To Replace P-3s

DOD on June 14 announced selection of Boeing to develop a replacement for the Navy’s fleet of P-3 Orion aircraft. The Lockheed Martin P-3s are used for maritime surveillance and patrol, with antisubmarine operations a primary mission.

The $3.9 billion award puts the Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program into its initial development phase. Ultimately, a buy of 108 operational aircraft could be worth as much as $20 billion for Boeing. The new aircraft is supposed to enter service in 2013. Boeing plans to derive the MMA from its 737 commercial platform.

In announcing the decision, Navy acquisition executive John J. Young Jr. said that it’s “becoming urgent” to replace the aging P-3 fleet with a new airframe and “enhanced capability.” He added that both Boeing and Lockheed Martin “produced high quality proposals,” but the Navy determined that Boeing could deliver the aircraft sooner. “That helped tip the scales,” said Young.

Academy Cadet Pleads Guilty

On June 8, Air Force Academy Cadet 3rd Class Douglas L. Meester pleaded guilty to charges of dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming an officer, and indecent acts. Originally, he had been accused of raping a freshman female cadet in October 2002.

Academy officials dropped the original charges, including rape and forcible sodomy, in return for a pretrial agreement that called for Meester to enter a guilty plea on the remaining charges. (For background on this news item, see “Upheaval at the Academy,” January, p. 56.)

Meester received a reprimand and a $2,000 fine. He remains a cadet at the academy.
Russians Begin Open Skies Work

In early June, according to the State Department, Russia and Belarus conducted their first Open Skies Treaty observation flight over the United States. The US has already flown 10 observation missions over Russia and Belarus since the treaty went into force Jan. 1, 2002.

The Russia-Belarus team’s TU-154 aircraft arrived at Travis AFB, Calif., from which it flew to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, to begin its overflight of the US.

Russia and Belarus were slated to fly a second mission sometime this year. A US escort team accompanies the Russia-Belarus team during the flights.

The Open Skies Treaty, which currently has 30 participating nations, originally was negotiated between members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact and signed in 1992. It allows all participants to gather information about military forces and activities in what the State Department calls “one of the most wide-ranging international efforts to date to promote openness and transparency.”

News Notes
By Tamar A. Mehuron, Associate Editor

• Gen. Paul V. Hester, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, took command of Pacific Air Forces on July 2, replacing Gen. William J. Begert, who retired. Hester was commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, where he was replaced by Lt. Gen. (sel.) Michael W. Wooley on July 1.
  
• President Bush, on June 18, nominated Army Lt. Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, currently serving as senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense, as commander of US Southern Command, Miami. If confirmed, Craddock would replace Army Gen. James T. Hill.
  
• PACAF airmen on deployment to the US Central Command theater now have dedicated, contract flights to take them directly to Southwest Asia. Previously, the airmen were routed from Japan through Atlanta or Baltimore on the East Coast, then on through to the theater, a journey that took as long as five days.
  
• Northrop Grumman began assembly of the F-35’s center fuselage in May, officials announced. The company is scheduled to deliver the first center fuselage to Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Joint Strike Fighter, in May 2005.
  
• In a related F-35 development, Northrop Grumman delivered a crucial avionics system to Lockheed Martin two weeks ahead of schedule. Based on software-defined radio technology, the F-35 avionics system is much lighter and smaller and features multiple functions capability vs. the traditional single function radios.
  
• Air Combat Command has been conducting final operational testing of a software upgrade slated to be fielded on F-16s this summer. The software works with the new Link 16 data link system to connect pilots with other aircraft, command and control aircraft, and air operations centers. At the same time, European allies flying F-16s will receive upgrades with compatible capabilities.
  
• The remains of Col. Lester E. Holmes, a pilot listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War, were returned to his family on May 18 for burial. On May 22, 1967, enemy fire downed Holmes’ O-1E aircraft while he was on a forward air control mission over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam. The aircraft spiraled to the ground, according to another forward air controller who saw it. There was no emergency radio beacon, and intense enemy activity in the area prevented a search and rescue operation. In July 1998, US officials recovered human remains that subsequently were identified as Holmes.
  
• An F-15 with the 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla., crashed into the Gulf of Mexico while on a training mission May 21. The pilot, Lt. Col. Patrick Marshall, ejected and was reported in good condition. USAF will investigate the accident.
  
• The collision of two F-16s March 9 was caused by pilot error, concluded an accident board report released June 15. The collision occurred during a basic fighter maneuver training engagement over the Atlantic Ocean. Both pilots landed their aircraft safely at Shaw AFB, S.C., and were unharmed. Both were assigned to 79th Fighter Squadron at Shaw.
  
• A safety board is investigating the cause of a June 14 crash of an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. It crashed while returning from a training mission at the Nevada Test and Training Range. There were no injuries or property damage.
  
• USAF estimated engine damage caused by two separate mechanical failures Feb. 3 on an E-4E National Airborne Operations Center aircraft at nearly $4 million, according to an investigation report released June 7. The crew declared an in-flight emergency and landed safely. A turbine blade had fractured and moved through sections of the turbine, damaging an engine. In a second, unrelated failure, the casing that surrounds the turbine blades to increase air flow dropped into the turbine air path. There was no indication of which happened first.
  
• USAF officials are investigating the June 18 crash of an F-15C at the Nevada Test and Training Range while on a training mission. The pilot ejected and was taken to the hospital for evaluation. Both the pilot and the aircraft were assigned to the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev.
  
• The 2003 Air Force Battlelab Project Officer and Enlisted Project Officer of the Year awards went to 1st Lt. Brian Herman, Information Warfare Battlelab, Lackland AFB, Tex., and TSgt. Ronald Newpher, Air and Space Expeditionary Force Battlelab, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, respectively.
  
• USAF pararescueman SSgt. Joshua A. Swartz, now stationed at Pope AFB, N.C., received the 2004 Non Commissioned Officers Association Vanguard Award for heroic action in Bayji, Iraq, on April 8, 2003, when he pulled an injured Army ranger from the hood of a burning vehicle, took him to safety, and treated the severe wounds. Swartz was wounded and under fire at the time. His efforts saved the ranger’s life and helped in rescuing the rest of the team.
  
• Exceptional leadership displayed by four airmen during their Air University course work earned them the Secretary of the Air Force Leadership Award. The four are: Lt. Col. James Vechery, US Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.; Maj. Mitchell Monroe, 721st Air Mobility Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J.; Capt. Patrick Farrell, 33rd Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.; and MSgt. Sharif Rahim, 335th Training Squadron, Keesler AFB, Miss.