The much ballyhooed attempt by the US Air Force to provide Afghanistan with a light attack aircraft recently hit another roadblock.
Prior to December, there were two contractors vying for the award — Hawker Beechcraft’s AT-6 and Embraer’s Super Tucano. In December, the Air Force removed Hawker from the competition and awarded the contract to the sole remaining bidder.
The fighter pilot tradition of Mustache March has a website. Who knew? Of course, it’s a charity awareness website that seems to be unaware of its use of the military tradition most often attributed to USAF fighter pilot Gen Robin Olds.
Of course, the fact it’s a fighter pilot tradition doesn’t stop others from joining in — even the space community, famously known as blue-zipper-suited, leather aviation jacket wearing silo sitters.
The unofficial motto of “Initial Success or Total Failure” (ISOTF) — intended to convey the life or death consequences of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) profession — has been banned by the US military.
Rear Adm. Michael Tillotson told school leaders this month that the motto could be viewed as disrespectful to the hundreds of Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians who have died in the line of duty.
Adm Tillotson went on to say that to “imply [the fallen have] failed” Read more
Despite ongoing budget issues, the US Air Force intends to develop and field a new bomber colloiqually known as the Long Range Strike Aircraft.
The Air Force has already set aside $292 million in research dollars for the bomber in their fiscal 2013 budget request. The service plans to spend $6.3 billion into the effort over the next five years. Once developed, the new bomber will replace B-1Bs and B-2s. The new plane will be designed to evade advanced aerial defense systems, employ stealth Read more
The US Air Force chose its top fighter squadron, naming the 67th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, as the 2011 Raytheon Trophy winner.
The annual award, originally started by the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1953, is now sponsored by Raytheon Systems Corporation and is given Read more
The Virginian-Pilot adds information to the story of US Navy Captain Timothy Dorsey, who shot down an Air Force F-4 during a training exercise in 1987. Turns out the pilot he shot down has issues with Dorsey’s promotion:
Dorsey’s…critics, including the pilot he shot down, say he should have been forced out of the service more than two decades ago. Some said they are contacting their senators to ask that his appointment be stopped.
The pilot Dorsey shot down, Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Ross, Read more
An article at MSNBC notes the emphasis the US military has placed on protecting marriages, particularly those under the strain of combat deployments. Divorce rates have increased in the military, and the home life directly impacts a servicemember’s professional readiness:
Retreats are an effort to reverse this trend. Organizations around the country are making it their mission to offer military couples and families places to have fun, bond and prepare for life on the home front through classes and counseling. These retreats are provided by nonprofits such as Project Sanctuary, Project New Hope, Coming Home Project, Operation Purple, Operation Oasis and the Army’s Strong Bonds.
According to the official Accident Investigation Board, “extreme fogging” was the cause of an F-16’s long landing at OshKosh last year (caught on film), causing it to overrun the runway and slide into the grass.
the aircraft’s environmental control system caused extreme fogging that completely obscured the pilot’s visual cues Read more