Airman Killed, Two Injured
A1C Antoine J. Holt, 20, died from injuries received April
10 when an enemy mortar struck his tent at Balad Air Base
in Iraq. Two other airmen in the tent were injured, one seriously.
Holt, who was from Kennesaw, Ga., and the other two airmen
were deployed to Iraq from the 603rd Air Control Squadron,
Aviano AB, Italy.
A1C Scott Palomino, 19, was severely wounded in the attack.
Subsequently, his left leg was amputated below the knee. The
other airman, whose name was not released, was treated for
minor injuries.
On the day after the attack, an Air Force MQ-1 Predator, the
armed version of the unmanned aerial vehicle, was flying with
a US flag in Holt’s honor when it attacked and killed
two Iraqi insurgents who were staging another mortar attack
on the base. (See “Predator Kills Insurgents,” p.
17.)
The flag will be delivered to Holt’s family, US Central
Command Air Forces announced.
USAF Redirects JASSM in Flight
The Air Force for the first time has retargeted a Joint Air-to-Surface
Standoff Missile in flight. The event took place during a March
26 test shot over a Utah test range, after the JASSM had been
launched from a B-1B bomber.
The launch was the final event in the missile’s developmental
testing program for integration with the B-1B. Operational
integration testing began in April.
“The B-1 is the only platform capable of replanning the route
of the JASSM in flight and sending it to another target,” said
Maj. Wim Libby, test pilot with the 419th Flight Test Squadron,
Edwards AFB, Calif.
JASSM, a stealthy, medium-range cruise missile, is expected
to be fielded with B-1B combat units this summer.
USAF Addresses Poor Housing
Air Force officials announced this spring that they intend
to spend roughly $1.6 billion in Fiscal 2005 to help eliminate
substandard family housing at bases in the United States.
The service wants to fix the housing problem by 2008.
The $1.6 billion housing commitment is more than half of
the Air Force’s 2005 military construction and family
housing budget request, which includes funds for active,
Air National
Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command facilities.
A 2005 budget request of $128 million for dormitory projects,
said officials, keeps the Air Force on track to meet goals
to eliminate inadequate housing for unaccompanied junior
enlisted personnel. The dormitory master plan calls for replacement
of substandard permanent party dormitory rooms by Fiscal
2007.
Technical training dorms are due to be replaced by Fiscal
2009.
Airlift Surges for Troop Rotation
Air Force mobility aircraft have played a major role in what
officials have termed the largest troop movement since World
War II.
Over a 90-day period, US Transportation Command transported
some 250,000 troops, either into or out of Southwest Asia,
using both air and surface movements. On a typical day, personnel
from the Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC), Scott AFB,
Ill., moved more than 400 aircraft—considerably higher
than the 300 per day they had averaged during the past two
years.
Before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the TACC handled about
200 aircraft per day.
The TACC, which is part of Air Mobility Command’s 18th
Air Force, coordinated both military and commercial airlifters
participating in this massive troop rotation.
Exchange Consolidation Eyed
The Defense Department plans to reform its military exchange
system to avoid duplication and increase efficiency, officials
said in April.
“Presently, you’ve got three different organizations that
are delivering the same benefit to the same customer,” said
retired USAF Maj. Gen. Charles W. Wax, who is leading DOD’s
exchange reform efforts.
Exchanges for the three services currently use separate
finance, accounting, human resources, information technology,
logistics,
and merchandising systems, noted Wax.
Individual troops are the ones “ultimately paying for
this duplication,” he said. A 1999 Pentagon study
estimated that full integration would save up to $200 million
annually.
Last year’s announcement of the proposed unification met
with skepticism among some exchange officials and members
of Congress.
The Unified Exchange Task Force is scheduled to produce
an integration plan for the Pentagon to deliver to Congress
in January 2005. If approved, the Pentagon would expect
to
implement
the plan during spring 2006.
The plan will not include privatization, said officials.
The far-flung and specialized nature of the exchanges makes
such
a move unworkable.
Airman Dies in Training
TSgt. David Gressett, an AC-130H Spectre gunner based at
Hurlburt Field, Fla., died April 1 after collapsing during
training
in an altitude chamber at Tyndall AFB, Fla.
Gressett, who was assigned to the 16th Special Operations
Squadron at Hurlburt, had previously and successfully completed
the
aerospace physiology training course three times—in
1994, 1996, and 1999. The aerospace physiology flight at
Tyndall
trains more than 1,800 personnel each year.
USAF officials said a board of officers will investigate
Gressett’s
death.
More US Troops to Afghanistan?
The size of the US force operating in Afghanistan will
likely increase as the time draws closer to that country’s
September elections, said Gen. Richard B. Myers, Chairman
of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. Afterward, the US force could go “back
down to lower numbers,” he said.
The US troop level has increased from 11,000 to 15,500
in recent months in a stepped-up hunt for Osama bin Laden
and
other militants,
reported Reuters News Agency.
“We’ve ramped up our presence here a little bit,
anticipating and trying to ensure that we have no more violence
as we head
toward elections,” Myers told reporters traveling
with him during a visit to the theater.
The size of the force in Afghanistan will be based on
requirements, Myers said. Overall levels “ebb and
flow,” he said.
Airman Named on “The Wall”
The Department of Defense announced in April that it
had approved the addition of Air Force Capt. E. Alan
Brudno’s name
to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.—some
30 years after his death.
Brudno had been held by the North Vietnamese as a prisoner
of war for more than seven years, during which time he “endured
long-term, severe physical and psychological abuse and
torture-related wounds,” stated a DOD release.
Brudno did not die in Vietnam. He was repatriated in
1973, then took his own life within four months. That
made this
case controversial.
The Air Force petitioned to have Brudno’s name etched
into the wall. The service believed that Brudno died
as a result of wounds sustained in the combat zone—the criterion
for inclusion.
The Pentagon agreed. It said that, because of the “devastating
effects of these wounds,” Brudno “succumbed
within a short time after his release from captivity.” Those “particular
merits” led to the decision, stated the announcement.
Officials of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and others
raised concern that including Brudno’s name would
lead to inclusion of the names of thousands of other
suicides.
Defense officials maintain that the decision to include
Brudno’s
name “must not be misunderstood to include, broadly,
cases involving more attenuated circumstances that may
have led to
postwar suicides, or those postwar deaths more distantly
based on cases of war-related psychological trauma.”
CENTCOM Area Expands
As a result of a little-noticed change to the Pentagon’s
Unified Command Plan, US Central Command’s area
of responsibility (AOR) now encompasses Syria and Lebanon.
An April 22 Pentagon
news release stated that President Bush signed the change
on March 10.
Syria and Lebanon had long been part of US European Command’s
AOR.
These two countries, stated the release, “are politically,
culturally, and militarily more oriented with the countries
in Central Command.” CENTCOM stretches from Egypt
to Pakistan and from Kenya to Kazakhstan.
This move had been debated for years, according to a
DOD official. The Pentagon periodically reviews the plan
and,
in 2002, made
two major changes: creation of US Northern Command and
placement of Russia within EUCOM’s AOR.
The April release stated that Israel will remain aligned
with EUCOM. DOD claimed that Israel is politically, culturally,
and militarily more closely aligned with Europe. Keeping
Israel
in EUCOM, however, also allows CENTCOM officials to avoid
dealings with Tel Aviv, which would complicate their
work with Arab
Nations.
World War II Memorial Opens
The World War II Memorial on the National Mall opened
to the public the last week in April, well ahead of its
official
dedication
ceremony.
The $170 million memorial, paid for almost entirely by
private donors, was scheduled for formal dedication on
May 29 as
part of a four-day Memorial Day weekend celebration.
The memorial, situated on a 7.4-acre site between the
Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, is the result
of an 11-year
effort. It was authorized by Congress in 1993. Construction
began in September 2001. It is the first national memorial
dedicated to all who served in World War II. The dedication
ceremony is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors.
Eberhart Pushes Maritime NORAD
USAF Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart believes that complete situational
awareness of threats approaching the United States will
require NORAD to develop a maritime role. Eberhart, who
is commander
of the binational NORAD and US Northern Command, discussed
the possibility at two public forums earlier this year.
Such a proposal has surfaced several times in the last
few years. In 2002, a senior Canadian defense official
said that
Canada would not participate in an expanded role for
NORAD that could include land and sea elements.
Eberhart said that discussions with Canada are ongoing.
In December 2002, NORAD created a binational planning
group to improve defenses against maritime and land-based
threats
to
North America. One focus of the group is reviewing a “naval
NORAD” option that would provide support to the
Coast Guard for maritime security operations.
Currently, NORAD’s primary mission is defense of US and
Canadian airspace. NORTHCOM, which was created after
the 9/11 terrorist attacks, has the mandate to counter external
threats
to the US and oversees DOD homeland defense and domestic
military assistance operations.
New Personnel System Approved
DOD’s senior leaders approved the plan for the new National
Security Personnel System in April, said Navy Secretary
Gordon R. England, who is leading the effort for the Pentagon.
The new system will “introduce changes in the way the
department hires, pays, promotes, disciplines, and fires
its civilian employees,” a department release stated. Authorization
for a new system was approved by Congress in the Fiscal
2004 defense authorization act.
The plan provides for “event-driven schedules,” said
England. “We won’t go to the next step until
we finish [the previous one],” he emphasized.
The first milestone, which is set for November, is to
publish a draft labor-relations regulation in the Federal
Register.
In an April open letter to department employees, England
and David S.C. Chu, DOD’s personnel chief, said
the goal is to “design a transformed system for
the department’s
700,000 civilian employees that supports our national
security mission while treating workers fairly and protecting
their
rights.”
Academy Halts Flying
The Air Force Academy halted flying operations for most
of its aircraft after a three-day inspection by outside
maintenance
experts raised safety concerns. The affected aircraft
included Cessna 150 and UV-18 Twin Otter airplanes, as
well as the
academy’s
gliders.
According to an April 5 announcement, 45 aircraft were
grounded after maintenance technicians from Tinker AFB,
Okla., and
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, “identified maintenance
issues in data management, parts control, and maintenance
support.”
The release stated that introductory flying training
would be unaffected because the DA-20 aircraft used for
that
mission were deemed safe to fly.
Full flight operations were to resume after Brig. Gen.
Johnny A. Weida, academy commandant, certified the other
aircraft
were safe.
Foundation Seeks Inscriptions
Air Force Memorial Foundation officials have asked the
public to suggest inscriptions to be used in the Air
Force Memorial.
The official groundbreaking is scheduled for Sept. 15,
with construction to be completed by 2006.
The memorial will include two 55-foot-long granite walls
and an area called “Walls of Reflection,” formed
by seven translucent glass panels surrounding a center
square. These
panels and the two granite walls at the north and south
ends of the memorial’s parade ground will bear inscriptions.
Suggestions will be considered for use.
According to Edward F. Grillo, AFMF president, inscriptions
can be quotes or broader suggestions for themes that
could be addressed with inscriptions.
Suggestions for inscriptions should be sent via e-mail:
afmf@airforce memorial.org.
NNSA Boosts Nuke Security
The National Nuclear Security Administration has increased
its security funding by $125 million per year to meet “enduring
requirements” brought on by the 9/11 terrorist attacks,
the NNSA administrator said this spring.
Prior to 2001, NNSA’s nuclear weapons security philosophy,
said Linton F. Brooks, was based on the premise that “people
would try to steal them.”
Now, he told defense reporters in April, it is obvious
there are individuals who are willing to sacrifice their
lives
to create a nuclear incident. This awareness has forced
NNSA to
expand its security perimeters so that potential attackers
can be stopped farther away from a nuclear facility.
Some of the changes have been easy to implement, Brooks
said. These include changing security rotations and closing
roads.
Others require new procedures and capabilities.
Despite the new threats, Brooks said, “everything is safe
and secure.”
A-10 Pilots Cleared in Fratricide Case
Two Air Force A-10 pilots were cleared of wrongdoing in
a 2003 fratricide event after a US Central Command
board
determined they had “acted appropriately, based on
the information they possessed at the time of the incident.”
The incident took place March 23, 2003, when 18 Marines
were killed during an intense firefight in Nasiriyah, Iraq.
Up
to 10 of the Marines may have been killed by friendly fire,
though exact causes of death were impossible to determine
because of “heavy fighting with the enemy at the time
of the incident,” stated a CENTCOM news release.
In its investigation, the command found that many factors
contributed to the incident, including problematic communications
links and a battle plan that changed as the firefight developed.
Ultimately, the Marine Corps forward air controller who
called in the air strike was found to be at fault for
the friendly
fire. The Marine captain believed no friendly forces
were in front of his unit, and, although he could not
see the
target area or the A-10 aircraft, he directed the A-10s
to strike. |
F/A-22 Begins Operational Test
The Air Force on April 29 began initial operational test
and evaluation (IOT&E) of the F/A-22 Raptor. Satisfactory
completion of IOT&E will lead to full-rate production
of the new fighter.
“We would not enter this test unless we believed
the Raptor will pass,” Marvin R. Sambur, USAF’s
assistant secretary for acquisition, told reporters at
the Pentagon.
He added that the F/A-22 is on a tight schedule to meet
its December 2005 initial operational capability (IOC)
date,
but he did not anticipate problems. If some unforeseen
problem does occur, he said, the IOC would slip a few months,
not
years.
“The development phase” of the F/A-22 is now
completed, Sambur said. “This airplane is ready. It’s
here now. This is not a promise. ... This is real.”
IOT&E will assess the F/A-22’s deployability,
maintainability, survivability, and lethality, as well
as directly comparing
its performance to that of the F-15C, which it is to
replace. The testing will involve multiple dogfights pitting
four
F/A-22s against twice as many F-15s and F-16s. The Pentagon
will review the Air Force’s IOT&E findings in
the fall.
Sambur said that, although IOT&E will concentrate
on the air-to-air role of the airplane, “we will have
an air-to-ground capability” when the airplane is
declared operational. The attack role will be tested in
spring 2005
during follow-on operational testing and evaluation.
The avionics software problems that afflicted the Raptor
over the last several years have been resolved, said
Sambur. The fighter now demonstrates 10.8 hours average
time between
component glitches in the software, up dramatically from
under three hours earlier this year. Since then, there
have been “several software updates,” he said.
— John A. Tirpak |
Predator Kills Iraqi Insurgents
An armed MQ-1 Predator on April 11 killed two insurgents
who had attacked Balad Air Base in Iraq with mortars, said
US Central Command Air Forces. The two terrorists were
killed by Hellfire missiles fired from the unmanned aerial
vehicle.
The men were part of a four-person group “attempting
to fire mortars at the base,” a CENTAF statement said.
A similar attack at the base the previous day (April 10)
killed one airman when a mortar hit his tent. (See “Airman
Killed, Two Injured,” p. 16.)
“A two-person UAV crew on a defensive surveillance
mission learned that four Iraqi insurgents were in a field
near the
base,” the CENTAF news release recounted. “Using
their targeting pod, they located the enemy team just as
the enemy team shot a weapon at the base. While the UAV
crew obtained clearance to respond, ... the four insurgents
separated
and ran in opposite directions.”
The Predator team had to pick one pair to track and,
as it followed the two men, another mortar was launched
into
the
base. Before a third mortar could be fired, the Predator
team got permission to strike and scored a direct hit
with a Hellfire missile.
Predator teams successfully engaged enemy forces again
the following day, CENTAF added, when they called in
an F-16
close air support strike against multiple insurgents. |
DOD Studies NORTHCOM-SOUTHCOM Merger
The Defense Department is considering whether US Northern
Command and US Southern Command should be merged into a
single warfighting command that would have responsibility
for defense of the entire Western Hemisphere. The new command:
Americas Command.
Currently, NORTHCOM’s area of responsibility (AOR)
is North America, while SOUTHCOM covers Central and South
America.
The Pentagon, in 1997, moved SOUTHCOM headquarters from
its Panama location to Miami, so physical location may
not be
much of an issue. However, such a merger would require close
coordination with Canada because the commander of NORTHCOM,
also serves as commander of NORAD, the binational command
the US shares with Canada.
The Americas Command proposal has been around for several
years, but Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld only recently
resurrected it. He directed a joint staff study to determine
whether a merger would “improve effectiveness and efficiency,
enhance the capability to perform ... missions, improve operational
focus, eliminate unnecessary redundancies, and reduce resource
requirements,” according to its terms of reference.
Plans call for Rumsfeld to be briefed on the study’s
recommendation in June. |
Americans Express Confidence in US Military
The American public believes that the US Military is strong
enough to protect its interests despite being heavily tasked—some
say stretched too thin—for ongoing operations in the
war on terror, according to a recent Gallup poll. The poll
showed that a total of about 80 percent were “very
satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with
military strength and preparedness.
The poll also revealed that age is a major factor. Younger
individuals are more confident in the strength of the US
military than are older Americans. About half of those
under age 50 were very satisfied, while only one-third
of those
50 and older indicated high satisfaction.
Despite the age difference, Americans overall appear
highly confident in the US military. Similar results
have been
found each year since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Before
Sept.
11, 2001, the number that were very satisfied was less
than half what it is today. (see charts in pdf version) |
Wald Sees Africa Staying in EUCOM
Military responsibility for the continent of Africa is
best accomplished exactly how it is handled today,
as part of
US European Command, said Air Force Gen. Charles F. Wald,
EUCOM’s deputy commander.
Calls for the creation of a new unified combatant command
for Africa are misguided, Wald said at a speech before the
American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. DOD doesn’t
need to add another headquarters, he said.
The growing strategic importance of Africa is well recognized
by EUCOM. “We can handle it,“ the general said. “We’re
big boys.”
Wald did add, however, that the name European Command
is a misnomer. He said the command is trying to determine
what
the proper name of the command should be, because its area
of responsibility is not limited to Europe.
A preferred name might be “Eastern Command,” said
Wald. “I don’t know what the answer is, but it’s
definitely not just European Command.” |
The Iraq Story Continues
Casualties
One hundred nine US troops and two US civilians died supporting
Operation Iraqi Freedom during the first three weeks of April,
OIF’s deadliest period of fighting.
By April 21, a total of 707 US troops had died supporting
Iraqi Freedom. Of those casualties, 511 were killed by hostile
action, while another 196 died in noncombat incidents.
President Bush declared major combat operations in Iraq
complete on May 1, 2003. Since that time, 569 troops
have died in
Iraq: 402 in combat and 167 in nonhostile
incidents. Two DOD civilians were also killed in the line of duty.
Tours Extended for 20,000 Troops
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, on April 15, said
that 20,000 troops who expected to leave Iraq and Kuwait
at the end of one year will instead remain
in Southwest Asia for at least three more months.
Gen. George W. Casey, Army vice chief of staff, said at
a Pentagon briefing that
the decision was not made lightly. “These are tough times,” Casey said. “We’re
asking a lot of our people and of their families.”
The affected troops are primarily active duty Army combat
and combat support
units.
CENTCOM Counters Falluja Uprisings
US Central Command in early April launched Operation Valiant
Resolve, in an attempt to quell a surge in violence centered
around the city of Falluja. Led by the
Marine Corps, Valiant Resolve isolated the city, located in the center of Iraq’s
volatile “Sunni Triangle.”
Roads leading into the city were blocked off and barricaded,
and men of fighting age were prohibited from leaving
the city. Air strikes targeted enemy positions
and ground patrols sought out insurgents.
The crackdown became necessary after the rising violence
made April the deadliest
month of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Balad Takes the Reigns From Baghdad
Air Force operations at Balad Air Base have increased
in recent months as USAF reduced its presence at Baghdad
Airport.
The Pentagon expects to have all US
troops out of Baghdad Airport by the fall.
Balad, an hour’s drive north of Baghdad, already
hosts a deployed fighter detachment and will become the
primary arrival and departure location for troops
traveling to Iraq by military airlifter. |
USAF To Pick Second Raptor Base After BRAC
The Air Force will await the results of the 2005 base
realignment and closure (BRAC) round before selecting which
base will
follow Langley AFB, Va., as home for operational F/A-22s.
Service officials do not want to prejudice the BRAC process.
Several bases were considered when USAF made its selection
of Langley to house the first operational F/A-22 unit. Those
other bases will be “likely contenders” in future
deliberations, but there could be new ones on the list that
meet basing requirements for the new fighter, said Col. Lawrence
Wells, chief of F/A-22 requirements for Air Combat Command,
at Langley.
Langley is in the last stages of preparations to host
the service’s first operational Raptors. The first
F/A-22s are due at the Virginia base late this year. Air
Force leaders
expect the Raptor to reach initial operational capability
at Langley in December 2005.
The bases that previously lost out to Langley are: Elmendorf
AFB, Alaska; Eglin AFB and Tyndall AFB, Fla.; and Mountain
Home AFB, Idaho.
The BRAC commission is scheduled to make its recommendations
for which bases to close in September 2005. |
News Notes
By Tamar A. Mehuron, Associate Editor
Air Combat Command officials on March 30 dedicated the ACC
Conference Center at Langley AFB, Va., to Gen. W.L. Creech,
head of Tactical
Air Command from 1978 to 1984. Creech died Aug. 26, 2003. (See “Aerospace
World: Gen. W.L. Creech, 1927-2003,” October 2003, p. 20.) The 2003 Mackay Trophy went to the McChord AFB, Wash., C-17
crew “Vijay
10” for their role in planning and executing the March
26, 2003, 15-ship C-17 airdrop of the 173rd Airborne Brigade
into
northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was the first
combat troop airdrop for the C-17, and the largest formation
airdrop since D-Day in World War II. The crew members are:
Lt. Col. Shane Hershman, Maj. Bob Colvin, 1st Lt. Matt Clausen,
and
MSgts. Shawn Brumfield and Chris Dockery. The first class of enlisted students to graduate from the
Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio,
had
eight Air Force and six Marine Corps noncommissioned officers.
Speaking at the March 23 commencement, Air Force Secretary
James G. Roche told the NCOs, “I consider your attendance at AFIT
long overdue, and I am extremely proud that this program has
come to fruition.” The eight USAF graduates are: CMSgt.
Don Clabaugh, SMSgts. Stephanie Carroll and Francis Szabo,
and MSgts. Charlie Cruz, James Kuntzelman, Edward Matthews,
Duane
Sorgaard, and Dan Swayne. The Special Operations Low Level II mission ended on April
1 for the C-5 airlifters of the 436th Operations Group, Dover
AFB,
Del. The unit had flown SOLL II missions, often performing
in black-out condition using night vision goggles to rapidly
move
troops and equipment into combat zones, for 22 years. Taking
up the SOLL mantle are C-17 airlifters of the 437th Operations
Group, Charleston AFB, S.C. Flying from Edwards AFB, Calif., on April 18, the X-45A
Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System dropped an inert guided weapon
near a truck
target at China Lake, Calif. This marked the first time an
inert, GPS-guided precision weapon was released from an unmanned
vehicle,
officials said. On March 19, the first C-130J delivered to an active duty
wing arrived at Little Rock AFB, Ark. The 314th Airlift Wing
will
fly the C-130J, equipped with digital instrumentation and
a diagnostic computer that identifies and locates aircraft
malfunctions. Pratt & Whitney announced in April that testing has begun
for the engine destined for the short take-off and vertical
landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35. Testing took place in
West Palm
Beach, Fla., and ran through May. SI International, Colorado Springs, Colo., received an $800
million contract to provide engineering and technical services
for command,
control, communications and computers and other systems worldwide
to Air Force Space Command, NORAD, US Northern Command, and
US Strategic Command. Work is to be completed by September
2007. A new Web-based system that helps airmen prepare for deployment
is being tested at Robins AFB, Ga. The deployment readiness
service is a single source that tracks and automatically updates
multiple
records. Other bases are scheduled to get the new system
this summer. USAF expects to have all deployable personnel
entered
in the system by fall. The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $325 million contract
for C-130J upgrades. Work is to be completed by March 2009. The Air Force Association’s 2004 Team of the Year comprises
investigators with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation.
The special investigators—Michael Franklin, Kim Gaestel,
Jesse Garcia, Justin Rock, and Michael Willoughby—were selected
for their “technical expertise, leadership, and inspiration,” said
AFA officials. Each year’s team includes members of a
specific enlisted career field; they are not necessarily part
of a formal
team. Northrop Grumman received two contracts worth a total of
$252 million for eight Global Hawks, mission control and launch
recovery
units, support equipment, and spares. Work on the first contract
is to be completed in January 2005 and the second in October
2005. The Air Force, on April 14, said it had selected 52 officers
to join the service’s test pilot program. Most will attend
training at the Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
Two will undergo training with the Navy at NAS Patuxent River,
Md., and one test pilot will receive training at the French Test
Pilot School, Istres, France. Six will be attending the Air Force
Institute of Technology to earn master’s in aeronautical
or electrical engineering before attending test pilot school. Boeing and Ball Aerospace received a $189 million award
from Northrop Grumman to develop and initially operate the
Space-Based
Space Surveillance System for USAF. The SBSS will detect
and track satellites and space debris. It is scheduled for
launch
in 2007. A USAF board recently selected 150 pilot and 10 navigator
candidates to attend Specialized Undergraduate Flying Training
this year
and next. Sixteen of the officers will go to Euro NATO Joint
Jet Pilot Training conducted at Sheppard AFB, Tex. The board
considered 249 applications for pilot training and 19 for
navigator training. BAE Systems received contracts worth almost $60 million
to upgrade the C-130H Compass Call aircraft weapons systems.
Work
is to
be completed in 2005. The Air Force Sergeants Association selected SMSgt. Dale
Berryhill, an Air Force Reserve Command airborne communications
systems
operator at Eglin AFB, Fla., for its 2004 Pitsenbarger Award,
honoring heroic actions. Berryhill, flying on an MC-130E
Combat Talon I over Iraq during Gulf War II, took immediate
action to
control a fire when flames and smoke engulfed the cargo compartment
and flight deck. Upon landing, the aircraft came under small
arms fire and Berryhill quickly passed pinpoint targeting
coordinates to US forces. Beale AFB, Calif., won the 2004 Commander in Chief’s
Annual Award for Installation Excellence in the Air Force,
officials
announced March 30. The award honors one installation from
each service. Lockheed Martin received a contract worth nearly $24 million
to modernize flight safety and network systems for the East
and West Coast spacelift ranges. Work is scheduled to be finished
by September 2008. Government employees rate USAF a high 7th overall out of
28 “Best
Places to Work in the Federal Government,” said a study
released April 15 by the Partnership for Public Service and American
University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy
Implementation. The rankings of federal agencies were the result
of a survey
of 100,000 government employees conducted by the Office of
Personnel Management. The Air Force Academy named Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon, a
key founder and the academy’s first superintendent, “The
Father of the Academy” as part of its 50th anniversary
celebration. Harmon, who had retired in 1953 after 38 years
of service, came
back on active duty to spearhead the establishment of the academy
on April 1, 1954. He became the first superintendent in August
1954, serving for almost two years, before retiring a second
time, in July 1956. He died of lung cancer in January 1957.
Copyright Air Force Association. All rights reserved.
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