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U.S. aerial tankers have flown more than 200 missions this year to fuel French airpower supporting Paris’ intervention against al Qaeda linked extremists in Mali. The aid underscores NATO’s reliance on U.S. military capabilities to stage even their own unilateral operations. Air Force Times reported the U.S. Air Force’s 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, forward deployed to Morón Air Base, Spain, from RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, England, has offloaded more than eight million pounds of fuel in 204 separate missions in support of the French Air Force as of May 15. ... But French forces could not have gotten to...

Exclusive: U.S. Air Force to move forward target date for F-35 use WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force plans to start operational use of Lockheed Martin Corp.-built (LMT.N: Quote) F-35 fighter jets in mid-2016, a year earlier than planned, using a similar software package as the Marine Corps, two sources familiar with the plans said on Monday. The Air Force's decision to accelerate its introduction with a slightly less capable version of the F-35 software package means the planes will carry fewer weapons at first, although the software will later be upgraded to the final version, said the sources,...

In an unprecedented action, an Air Force commander has stripped 17 of his officers of their authority to control and launch nuclear missiles. The 17 are being sent to undergo 60 to 90 days of intensive refresher training on how to do their jobs. The action comes after their unit performed poorly on an inspection and one officer was investigated for potential compromise of nuclear launch codes, according to Lt. Col. John Dorrian, an Air Force spokesman. The story was first reported by The Associated Press. The action was taken by the deputy commander of the 91st Operations Group, Lt....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Air Force stripped an unprecedented 17 officers of their authority to control - and, if necessary, launch - nuclear missiles after a string of unpublicized failings, including a remarkably dim review of their unit's launch skills. The group's deputy commander said it is suffering "rot" within its ranks.

The Air Force stripped an unprecedented 17 officers of their authority to control — and, if necessary, launch — nuclear missiles after a string of unpublicized failings, including a remarkably dim review of their unit's launch skills. The group's deputy commander said it is suffering "rot" within its ranks. "We are, in fact, in a crisis right now," the commander, Lt. Col. Jay Folds, wrote in an internal email obtained by The Associated Press and confirmed by the Air Force. The tip-off to trouble was a March inspection of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., which...

An Air Force spokesperson said personnel are not allowed to proselytize but are free to express their personal religious beliefs so long as it “does not make others uncomfortable.” But a critic pointed out an Air Force officer was told to remove a Bible that was on his desk. “When on duty or in an official capacity, Air Force members are free to express their personal religious beliefs as long as it does not make others uncomfortable,” Lt. Col. Laurel Tingley said in a statement to Fox News. “Proselytizing (inducing someone to convert to one’s faith) goes over that line.”...

A female Air Force instructor who had sex with a recruit was sentenced to three months in jail Thursday, but will remain in the service for now. The judge, Col. Donald Eller Jr., also gave Staff Sgt. Emily Allen 30 days' hard labor and busted her to airman first class.

A US cargo plane has crashed after taking off from an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, local reports say. The tanker aircraft had left the US Manas airbase near the capital Bishkek, officials told AFP. The emergency situations ministry said the plane had broken into three pieces but information about casualties has yet to be released. Seven crew members died when a US civilian cargo plane crashed at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan on Monday. Witnesses of the Kyrgyzstan crash told local media that they heard a boom and saw an explosion. The transport plane was carrying a cargo of fuel when it...

Religious liberty groups have grave concerns after they learned the Pentagon is vetting its guide on religious tolerance with a group that compared Christian evangelism to “rape” and advocated that military personnel who proselytize should be court martialed. Pentagon officials met to discuss a policy called “Air Force Culture, Air Force Standards,” published on Aug. 7, 2012. Section 2.11 requires “government neutrality regarding religion.”

A pilot who died when his light aircraft crashed just a few metres away from a house was reportedly a US Air Force general.

The U.S. Air Force prefers to use its F-16 fighters for everything. While the F-16 is a capable and versatile aircraft, the main reason for using it so much is because it is so cheap to operate. It costs the air force $23,000 per hour to operate an F-16C. Other fighters are much more expensive. An F-22 costs $68,000 an hour, while an F-15C costs $42,000 and an F-15E $36,000. The only aircraft that beats the F-16C is the A-10C, which costs $18,000 an hour. But the A-10 is not a fighter and is optimized for ground support. The F-16...

NORFOLK, Va.— A top general says federal budget cuts that will ground one-third of the U.S. Air Force´s active-duty force of combat planes including fighters and bombers means "accepting the risk that combat airpower may not be ready to respond immediately to new contingencies as they occur."Gen. Mike Hostage, commander of Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, issued the warning Tuesday as the Pentagon braces for more effects of the automatic spending cuts triggered by the lack of a budget agreement in Washington. Hostage said that only the units preparing to deploy to major operations,

According to internal documents obtained by Air Force Times, beginning on Apr. 9, 2013, the U.S. Air Force will begin grounding front line combat units as a consequence of sequestration and the need to deal with budget cuts. Seventeen squadrons belonging to the various U.S. Air Force commands are going to be affected by the stand down order. The grounding is aimed to save the 44,000 flying hours (worth 591 million USD) through September. The funded 241,496 flying hours will be distributed to those squadrons that will remain combat ready or are expected to keep a reduced readiness level called...

For the first time since 1971, there will be no air show at Offutt Air Force Base this year. Base officials announced Wednesday that because of operating budget uncertainties tied to the federal budget sequestration, the show and open house scheduled for Aug. 24-25 have been canceled. “The Department of Defense and the Air Force are facing difficult fiscal challenges, which requires us to make some tough decisions here at Offutt,'' said Col. John Rauch, commander of Offutt's 55th Wing. “One of these tough decisions includes cancelling this year's air show.''

San Antonio - A military judge sentenced Air Force instructor Staff Sgt. Eddy Soto to four years in prison for raping a female trainee at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where he worked. Lt. Col. Matthew Van Dalen also sentenced Soto to a dishonorable discharge after convicting him of rape Saturday during a court-martial at Lackland. More than 30 Lackland instructors have been investigated in the military sex scandal. Soto was the ninth trainer convicted in the scandal and sentenced to prison or hard labor. Van Dalen acquitted Soto on charges of aggravated sexual assault and wrongful sexual contact. Soto previously...

A U.S. military drone command center is coming to Horsham, Penn., on Oct. 1, according to reports. “The base will conduct missions to fly Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) or drones from thousands of miles away,” says Fox Philadelphia’s report. According to Phillyburbs.com, The U.S. Air Force “selected the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 111th Fighter Wing for the new mission” conducted at the Horsham Air Guard base.

A chaplain who was awarded the Bronze Star has spoken out about the tour – and what appears to have been misleading media coverage. In an interview with TheBlaze.com, Lt. Col. Jon Trainer, USAF, discussed the award and the PowerPoint presentation that has generated controversy. The presentation, which was titled, “Proper Handling and Disposal of Islamic Religious Material,” was written in the wake of the accidental burning of defaced Korans by American troops. The resulting riots when the news broke lead to 30 deaths, including two U.S. troops. Initial coverage of the medal in conservative media outlets lead former Congressman...

"The best and only safe road to honor, glory, and true dignity is justice." -- George Washington (1779) A Bronze Star Power Point? Actually, not ... Drive-by Journalism at Its Worst In keeping with our publishing deadlines, every Tuesday morning I send notice of my topic for Thursday's column to our editorial team. This week, I sent notice that I was writing about "military award inflation," and particularly a story from reputable news sources about an Air Force chaplain, Lt. Col. Jon Trainer, who received a Bronze Star for a PowerPoint. I first read this story under an inflammatory National...

Air Force Chaplain Awarded Bronze Star for PowerPoint Teaching Proper Sensitivity for the Koran An Air Force chaplain has been awarded a Bronze Star for his service in crafting an especially good PowerPoint about how to treat Islamic religious materials with sensitivity, according to Ohio’s Dayton Daily News. After U.S. troops in Afghanistan accidentally burned copies of the Koran, sparking riots that took over 30 lives, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Trainer came to the rescue: After the accidental burning last year of Qurans by U.S. troops in Afghanistan sparked deadly rioting, an Air National Guard chaplain from Springfield stepped in and...

Who wants to be a fighter pilot? If you asked the question 20 years ago, almost everyone would raise their hand, but today this is no longer the case. The state of the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) fighter force and the morale of its airmen and women have been in a steady spiral of decline since Chief of Staff General Michael Moseley and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne resigned at the behest of then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in 2008. So, who wouldn’t want to be a fighter pilot? Apparently at least 900 people as judged by...

An Air Force chaplain has been awarded a Bronze Star for his service in crafting an especially good PowerPoint about how to treat Islamic religious materials with sensitivity, according to Ohio’s Dayton Daily News. After U.S. troops in Afghanistan accidentally burned copies of the Koran, sparking riots that took over 30 lives, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Trainer came to the rescue: After the accidental burning last year of Qurans by U.S. troops in Afghanistan sparked deadly rioting, an Air National Guard chaplain from Springfield stepped in and potentially saved countless American lives. For his effort, Lt. Col. Jon Trainer received the...

U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber sitting on the flight line at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, USA. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (medium, large) The Photographer  Staff Sgt. Eric T. Sheler, United States Air Force  

The U.S. Air Force is developing tiny unmanned drones that will fly in swarms, hover like bees, crawl like spiders and even sneak up on unsuspecting targets and execute them with lethal precision. The Air Vehicles Directorate, a research arm of the Air Force, has released a computer-animated video outlining the the future capabilities of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). The project promises to revolutionize war by down-sizing the combatants.

<p>The Air Force confirms that two Russian bombers on Tuesday circled the U.S. island territory of Guam, prompting U.S. jets to scramble and respond.</p> <p>Two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter aircraft, operating out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, intercepted the Russian Tu-95 bomber aircrafts, which left in a northbound direction, said military spokeswoman Capt. Kim Bender.</p>

Russian nuclear bombers intercepted near Guam U.S. military officials tell NBC News that two Russian bombers, capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles, circled the U.S. island of Guam in the Western Pacific this week. U.S. Air Force F-15 jets scrambled from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam to intercept the bombers. According to one military official, the Russian Bear bombers remained in international airspace, the encounter between the U.S. and Russian aircraft “stayed professional” and there was no incident. The official said it’s impossible to determine whether the Russian bombers carried any nuclear weapons.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Defense Inspector General on Monday disputed an Air Force investigation that blamed pilot error rather than oxygen supply problems for the crash of an F-22 Raptor in November 2010. The Air Force grounded the jets — considered the world’s most advanced — for several months in 2011 after reports by pilots that oxygen-supply system failures lead to symptoms including headache, fatigue and nausea. The Air Force report, completed in late 2011, concluded that it was not an oxygen supply problem, but several errors by Capt. Jeffrey Haney, who was killed, that led to the crash...

I found this link from Micheal Yon on Facebook. I haven't heard of Electronic Frontier Foundation before but I found there map very interesting. The have a Google map of all FAA approved drone operations. If you follow there link to larger you can see details on what they say they are doing with the drone.

Budget cuts would reduce flying hours, F-35 orders: Air Force (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force will have to curtail its orders for Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet, restructure a $52 billion tanker contract with Boeing Co and reduce its flying hours by 18 percent if lawmakers do not avert impending across-the-board spending cuts, the service told Congress on Wednesday. The Air Force, in a draft presentation to Congress, said it faced shortfalls of $1.8 billion in war funding and $12.4 billion overall if Congress does not forestall the cuts, known as sequestration, which are due to take effect...

F-22 Raptors need helmet-mounted cueing system to take full advantage of AIM-9X Even after the US Air Force's fleet of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighters starts receiving full Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder high off-boresight missle capability in 2017, the aircraft needs a helmet-mounted cueing system (HMCS) to use the weapon to its full potential. That is even taking into account the AIM-9X Block I and Block II's helmetless high off-boresight (HHOBS) capability. "Without a helmet, that means the missile will need a very tight cue from somewhere," one F-22 pilot says. "[That's] something that is not always available in...

The Backbone Of America's Bomber Force Is Getting A Massive Upgrade (B-1B Lancer) David Cenciotti, The AviationistFebruary 2, 2013, 4:30 AM The U.S. Air Force is about to further upgrade its fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers. With what the service announces as “the largest B-1 modification in program history” the supersonic swing-wing bomber will get several improvements as part of the Integrated Battle Station and Sustainment-Block 16 (SB-16) upgrade aimed to provide B-1 aircrews with a higher level of situational awareness and a faster, secure digital communication link. SB-16, includes a Vertical Situation Display Upgrade in the cockpit that will...

. Computer Sciences Corporation’s performance on a failed $1 billion software project for the Air Force, a major objective of departing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.. An additional $1.1 billion would have been required to fix the system and put it in operation by 2020 -- eight years after the planned date.. “I can understand the senators’ frustration,” Air Force top uniformed acquisition official Lieutenant General Charles Davis.

Barksdale Air Force Base, La. -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 83rd birthday was Jan. 15. . . His courageous crusade for equality was first nationally recognized on Jan. 20, 1986, when President Reagan established the third Monday in January as an official federal government holiday. Our country, our Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command can learn much from Dr. King's drive for America to be a nation of equals. . . During his "I Have a Dream" speech given at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963, King told a gathering of more than 200,000...

The Air Force announced Friday it had found hundreds of examples of pornography and tens of thousands of other inappropriate items in a recent sweep of bases and facilities worldwide. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III in late November ordered wing commanders to scour work areas for pornographic or offensive materials that sexually objectify men or women, and for other “unprofessional” items. (snip) The majority of 631 items deemed pornographic were uncovered in Air Education and Training Command, which oversees training at Lackland and other bases. While most were items like magazines or computer videos that were...

For Immediate Release – January 3, 2013 Washington, DC – Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) announces the successful underwater search and recovery of a U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft from over 16,400 feet of sea water (fsw). In early August 2012, at the direction of the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), Phoenix mobilized the Navy’s ORION deepwater side scan sonar system, the CURV 21 remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and the Navy’s motion compensated, 30,000 pound Fly-Away Deep Ocean Salvage System (FADOSS). All equipment was transported over land from Phoenix’s facility in...

Top Secret Tombs: The Classified Stealth Aircraft Burial Grounds of Area 51 Top secret aircraft, even those that have been publicly disclosed, remain mysterious long after emerging from the black world. When – and if – secret planes are declassified, they’re treated differently from other military aircraft, and the specifics of their hardware may remain under wraps for decades. While some ultimately go to museums, others are placed into storage well away from prying eyes, awaiting a fate that may take years to arrive. One such fate that has befallen crashed, retired or failed projects over the decades is burial....

How To Fly A U-2 Spy Plane Got your eye on a sweet used '59 U-2 spy plane you saw on Craigslist? Would you go ahead and take the plunge if you just, you know, knew how to fly it? Then boy, are you in luck. That's because a couple days ago an entire flight manual for the U-2 from 1959 was declassified and released by the CIA. You can tell it's declassified because on each page where the word "secret" appears, someone has carefully drawn a line through it. We've got a copy here for you. The U-2 is,...

Curtis Diles (left), with a friend in Italy, 1945, returned to safety and survived the war after being rescued by the Mihailovich Serbs.There are those people in life that are born unto their destiny, that come into life to be something special. They choose not their path, nor do they accept it willingly, it just is for them, despite their not even seeking it. You cannot create these people; you cannot groom them for their destiny is contained within every cell of their being. They cannot be drawn into a comic book or cast into a made for TV movie...

Thatcher urged to steal French-made Exocet missiles during Falklands war National Archives papers outline plan of attorney general to hijack missiles being transported through South America One of Britain's most senior law officers at the time of the Falklands conflict, the attorney general, Sir Michael Havers, urged the prime minister to steal deadly French Exocet missiles to stop them ending up in the hands of the enemy. The ingenious scheme is revealed in previously secret documents released to the National Archives on Friday which show how the UK government attempted to subvert South American solidarity with Argentina. The Chilean junta...

<p>IT was the top-secret air base so covert even the locals were sworn to silence.</p> <p>The US Air Force base, outside Charleville in outback Queensland, was deserted after World War II and has sat forgotten in the desert for more than 60 years.</p> <p>Until now.</p>

December 24, 2012 Why Did NORAD Start Tracking Santa? Matt Soniak On December 24, 1955, the red telephone at the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado began ringing.The red phone meant it was either the Pentagon or CONAD commander in chief General Earle Partridge on the other end, and their reason for calling would probably not be pleasant.U.S. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, director of operations at the center, rushed over to the phone and grabbed it.“Yes Sir, this is Colonel Shoup,” he barked.Nothing but silence in response.“Sir?” This is Colonel Shoup,” he said.Silence again.“Sir?...

USAF mulls options for replacement of Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle On 11 December, the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle marked the 26th anniversary of its first flight, but the venerable strike fighter will continue serving with the US Air Force well into the 2030s. "There are no plans to replace the F-15E for the foreseeable future," the USAF says. "It is true that the F-15E, like all of our legacy aircraft, are accumulating more flight time than used to be typical, but given current fiscal realities, the AF [air force] fleet will continue to age well past the point at which...

The end of the airman's pin-up: U.S. Air Force orders pictures of naked women to be taken down after sexual assaults soar All active, reserve and Air National Guard units have 10 days to complete the sweep for offensive images Air Force believes pin-ups are contributing to a rise in sexual assaults Over 700 cases of sexual assault were reported in 2012, 100 more than 2011 By Helen Pow PUBLISHED: 09:43 EST, 7 December 2012 Pictures and calendars featuring half-naked women will be stripped from U.S. Air Force work spaces and public areas under a widespread inspection to stamp out...

Vanessa Dobos is a gunner on board a USAF AC-130 gunship.  The blue-eyed blonde has seen action in Iraq and Afganistan, and enjoys long walks on the beach, men who aren't afraid to cry, and puppies. Vanessa's dislikes include feed-tray stoppages, tracer flareout of her NVGs and premature fixed-wing strikes scattering her high-value targets... The 19 year old former Ohio high school cheerleader is in-fact the Air Force's first female aerial gunner ever: Raised in the small town of Valley View, Ohio, her interstest in the military was sparked by her father. Described by Dobos as 'a history buff', her dad talked...

Hurricane-relief Guardsmen tossed out of armory - for Victoria's Secret show The Victoria’s Secret show must go on — even if it means kicking out hardworking men and women in uniform. Dozens of National Guardsmen, and Army and Air Force personnel who have been sleeping at Manhattan’s Lexington Armory in between hurricane-relief shifts are being booted — to make room for Victoria’s Secret models in anticipation of Wednesday’s runway show. About 300 uniformed personnel have been bunking down at the armory at various times since Sandy hit. But their numbers will be reduced to 60 by Wednesday for the event,...

From the Military Times: An Air Force Academy tradition of throwing cadet first sergeants into the season's first snowfall ended in a brawl that left 27 cadets in need of medical treatment for everything from concussions, bitemarks, and cuts, according to an internal academy email obtained by the Air Force Times. “This ritual has devolved to become increasingly violent, with significant numbers of cadets requiring medical care over the past two years," Dean of Faculty Brigadier Gen. Dana Born wrote in an email sent to Academy department heads. She said the tradition of throwing cadets into the snow "has turned...

IN FOCUS: USAF targets long-range strike bomber The US Air Force is developing a new stealth bomber to counter growing anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) challenges around the world - but the programme faces enormous challenges in the face of declining US defence outlays. The Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) is part of a so-called "family of systems" being designed to ensure US forces can hold any point on Earth that may be at risk from aerial attack. The Long Range Strike family of systems - particularly the new bomber - is the centrepiece of the Pentagon's emerging "AirSea Battle" construct. US Air Force...

How to Build a FLYING SAUCER Declassified documents reveal Air Force’s plan to build a UFO Here's a quirky find from the National Archives: the United States Air Force's 1956 plan to build a saucer-shaped aircraft that would zip across the skies with the greatest of ease. As the Archives explain of "Project 1794, Final Development Summary Report": The Air Force had contracted the work out to a Canadian company, Avro Aircraft Limited in Ontario, to construct the disk-shaped craft. According to the same report, it was designed to be a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) plane designed to reach...

The U.S. military's mysterious X-37B space plane is headed back into the great beyond to do… whatever it does up there. The X-37B is slated for its third launch in October, the Air Force said, but like its two orbital predecessors, the mission of the unmanned spacecraft remains shrouded in secrecy. The exact timing of the October spaceflight, dubbed Orbital Test Vechicle-3 or OTV-3, is also tentative. "We are on track for the launch of the X-37B to occur next month, but the exact date of the launch is dependent on a number of factors including range conditions and weather,"...

The United States Air Force was established September 18, 1947.The U.S. Air Force song "Wild Blue Yonder"

Air Force and Coast Guard aircraft will fly “intercept and identification” exercises over Washington tonight as part of efforts to prevent suicide aircraft attacks or other threats to the capital, a military spokesman said. The latest exercise of what the North American Aerospace Defense Command calls “Falcon Virgo” involves Civil Air Patrol Cessna-182 light aircraft and a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter between 11:30 p.m. Monday and 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, NORAD said in a statement. “We want to make sure people seeing these planes aren’t concerned,” said NORAD spokesman John Cornelio. “One of the reasons we put out notice of...