USAF Woes

[GAP]

Was not the CF looking at those for SAR? uh...guys.....looky over there!!  :nod:

 

[Kirkhill]

I've quit weeping.

I have a solution.

Requirements: Mule, lasso and GPS spoofer.

Maybe we can convince 15 pilots one of these is Davis-Monthan.

Cross-border airports[edit]
One curiosity on the Canada–U.S. border is the presence of six airports that straddle the borderline. The airports were built prior to the US entry into World War II as a way to surreptitiously transfer US-built aircraft such as the Lockheed Hudson to Canada under the provisions of the Lend Lease Act. In the interest of maintaining neutrality, US military pilots were forbidden to deliver combat aircraft to Canada. The aircraft were flown to the border, landed, and then at night towed on their wheels over the border by tractors or horse. The next day the planes were crewed by RCAF pilots and ferried to the Atlantic.[25]

Piney Pinecreek Border Airport is located in Manitoba and Minnesota. The northwest/southeast oriented runway straddles the border, and there are two ramps; one in Canada and one in the US. The airport is jointly owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the local government of Piney, Manitoba. It is assigned US identifier 48Y and Canadian identifier JX2.

International Peace Garden Airport is located in Manitoba and North Dakota adjacent to the International Peace Garden. The runway is entirely within North Dakota, but a ramp extends across the border to allow aircraft to access Canadian customs. While not jointly owned, it is operated as an international facility for Customs clearance as part of the International Peace Garden.

Coronach/Scobey Border Station Airport is located in Saskatchewan and Montana. The east–west runway is sited exactly on the border. The airport is jointly owned by the Canadian and US governments and is assigned US identifier 8U3 and Canadian identifier CKK3.

Coutts/Ross International Airport is located in Alberta and Montana. Like Coronach/Scobey, the east–west runway is sited exactly on the border. It is owned entirely by the Montana Aeronautics Division. It is assigned US identifier 7S8 and Canadian identifier CEP4.

Del Bonita/Whetstone International Airport is located in Alberta and Montana, and similarly has an east–west runway sited exactly on the border. It is assigned US identifier H28 and Canadian identifier CEQ4.

Avey Field State Airport is located in Washington and British Columbia. The privately owned airfield is mostly in the US, but several hundred feet of the north-south runway extend into Canada and both Canadian and US customs are available. It is assigned US identifier 69S but does not have a Canadian identifier.

 

[CougarKing]

Aside from Monday's story about new USAF C27's flying straight from the Alenia production line into AMARC storage...

The other top headline for the USAF in the past couple of weeks seems to be this controversy the US Senate confirmation hearing for Obama's USAF Secretary nominee Deborah Lee James, which has been on hold over the possible A10 scrapping controversy:

Defense News

Unsatisfied With USAF Answers on A-10, Ayotte Keeps James Hold in Place


WASHINGTON — Senate Armed Services member Kelly Ayotte is keeping up her effort to block the White House's pick for US Air Force secretary after the service provided insufficient data on its plans to retire its A-10 attack aircraft fleet.

An aide to the New Hampshire Republican told Defense News on Tuesday that the senator felt the Air Force failed to sufficiently answer her questions about the A-10 plans. Therefore, Ayotte has decided to keep what's known as a hold on Deborah Lee James’ nomination, the aide said.

Ayotte has in recent days submitted follow-up questions to service officials.

The aide said Ayotte is worried the Air Force is set to retire the planes, known for decades for their lethal fire support of US and allied ground troops, before a suitable replacement is ready.

Under Senate rules, any senator can block a presidential nominee for any reason.

Another senator, Martin Heinrich, a freshman Democrat from New Mexico, also had been holding up the James nomination. He lifted his hold last week.

The service is mulling the A-10 retirement plan as part of ongoing efforts to trim its budget.

Ayotte, whose husband Joe was an A-10 pilot, raised the issue of cutting the Thunderbolt fleet during a Sept. 19 hearing on James’ nomination in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“What makes me concerned is that there already has been a decision made on the A-10,” she said. “The A-10 has a very important function in terms of close-air support and in fact, most recently in July, 60 soldiers were saved in Afghanistan because of the important close-air support provided by the A-10.”

At that time, James insisted that no final decision had been made on the A-10.

While that official line has been repeated by Air Force officials, sources have told Defense News that the service is considering cutting the entire A-10 fleet.

(...)

 

[CougarKing]

Seems that out of 21 Spartans the USAF ordered, US SOCOM will be the one to get 7 of these birds, and another 13 are still slated for AMARG, with the last one currently in overhaul.

Defense News

US SOCOM To Get 7 C-27Js From USAF

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has assigned seven C-27J Spartans to US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), but has not decided the fate of the Air Force’s remaining airlifters.

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made the decision on Oct. 28, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Ann Stefanek.

Three airlifters at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., will be transferred to SOCOM by the end of this month, Stefanek said. Four more are in production and are scheduled for delivery directly to SOCOM between December and April 2014.

Designed by Italian firm Alenia Aermacchi, the C-27J is a tactical transport designed for use on small, rough airfields. The Air Force initially planned on fielding 38 of the cargo planes, before deciding that they were too expensive to operate. That decision set off a firestorm of controversy in Congress, where members were eager to make sure local Air National Guard units received the platforms.

Altogether, the Air Force has paid for 21 C-27s. With the seven SOCOM planes assigned, 13 aircraft in inventory are destined for the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), known as the “Boneyard,” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. One more aircraft will end up there after undergoing work at an L-3 facility in Waco, Texas.

The Air Force is maintaining those C-27s under “Type 1000” storage, which requires the planes be kept in near-active condition. The goal is that when a decision on their destination is made, they can be quickly spun up and delivered.

The US Forest Service and Coast Guard have each submitted a letter of interest in acquiring the planes to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).

To give planes to either the agency, OSD needs to declare the planes “excess” materiel. According to Section 1091 of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, any transfer of excess materiel “shall be without reimbursement.”

New Sales Abroad?

Finding a stable US operator would likely help sales of the Spartan abroad, according to analysts.

“The imprimatur of a US customer, especially a military one like SOCOM or the Coast Guard, counts for a lot in the export markets,” said Steve Grundman, a Lund Fellow at the Atlantic Council and principal of Grundman Advisory.

In particular, the SOCOM move could provide a shot of credibility for the Spartan and spur further international sales, said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group.

“SOCOM doesn’t take things casually,” Aboulafia said. “It is an endorsement of the plane’s capabilities.”

(...)

 

[Kirkhill]

Actually the original programme saw the Army wanting 70 Sherpa replacements and the Air Force and National Guard coming along for the ride.

The problems were three-fold.

1.  The Air Force can't afford to buy enough planes for all its pilots so wants to control anything with wings.
2.  The Air Force wasn't buying enough Hercs or C-17s to keep up with attrition due to wear during the current unpleasantries
3.  The Air Force prefers to run a "public transit" system with a rigid schedule and limited stops with empty "buses" while the Army (and SOCOM) wanted an on-call "taxi/hot-shot" delivery system

Defense Industry Daily

Meanwhile, state National Guard forces have seen their air transport assets dwindle as C-130s are based elsewhere in realignments, or just not flyable. They have been clamoring to host C-27Js, whose short-field landing capabilities will be very welcome in the at-home disaster relief role. Indeed, the first base for the aircraft will be a Georgia Army National Guard facility in Warner Robins, GA.

Under the joint Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2006, JCA could have grown into a $6 billion program. Initial plans contemplated 145 aircraft – 75 USAF and 70 Army, and Finmeccanica projected a possible total of 207 JCA aircraft over the next 10 years. By 2009, however, consolidation under the US Air Force, which greatly prefers the larger C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster transports, came with a sharp cut in the total program, to just 38 planes, all of which would serve with the USAF Air National Guard.

The Army National Guard originally expected to receive the C-27J in 12 states, with each state hosting 4 aircraft: California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Alaska/Guam (shared), and Washington State. USAF Air National Guard deployments were also discussed for Connecticut, Michigan, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and Mississippi. As things stand now, however, many of these states will not get any planes. The C-27Js were set to base with Air National Guard detachments in groups of 4 at:

Bradley International Airport AGS, Bradley, CT
Martin State AGS, Baltimore, MD
W.K. Kellogg Airport, Battle Creek, MI
Key Field AGS, Meridian, MS (6 planes, incl. 2 training)
Great Falls International Airport, MT
Hector Field AGS in Fargo, ND
Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport in Mansfield, OH
Plus 2 bases to be named later. If there is a later, the National Guard basing angle will have played a prominent role in ensuring the C-27J’s survival.

 

[CougarKing]

The price of NOT retiring the A-10?

Defense News

B-1B, F-16s Could Be Next If Congress Blocks Air Force Plan To Retire A-10
Mar. 18, 2014 - 07:37PM  |  By Brian Everstine

The Air Force would be forced to make heavy cuts to its fighters and bombers if Congress rejects plans to retire the A-10 without providing additional funding, a top budget official said today.

The administration’s plan to cut the entire A-10 fleet, including infrastructure and depots, would save the Air Force $3.7 billion, plus another $500 million in cost avoidance, said Maj. Gen. James Jones, the deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements.

The Air Force could save the same amount by eliminating the entire B-1B Lancer fleet or about 350 F-16s.

“If you don’t let us divest, if we are returned force structure without additional [funding authority], we would have to evaluate what the options are,” Jones told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday.

(...EDITED)

 

[MarkOttawa]

Growlers, F-35s:

...
The sea service’s 2015 request did not ask for any E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, but the full panel signed off on its Defense subcommittee’s proposal to shift $975 million for 12 Growlers the Navy publicly admitted it really wanted but excluded from its request.

... it calls for $5.8 billion next year to buy 38 Lockheed Martin-made F-35 fighters, four more than requested...
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140610/CONGRESSWATCH/306100032/House-Panel-Approves-Massive-Pentagon-Spending-Bill

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Full House, plus 12 E/A-18G Growlers, Senate still to vote:

Lockheed's F-35 gets boost [38 vice 34] in House-passed defense bill
http://fwbusinesspress.com/fwbp/article/1/5868/Breaking-News/Lockheeds-F-35-gets-boost-in-House-passed-defense-bill.aspx#

Mark
Ottawa

 

[CougarKing]

Someone of power working on the DC beltway is probably gonna use this as an excuse to retire this type of aircraft to cut on costs.

US Air Force Grounds 82 F-16Ds After Cracks Discovered
Aug. 19, 2014
By AARON MEHTA


WASHINGTON - The US Air Force has grounded over half of its F-16D Fighting Falcons, the service’s Air Combat Command (ACC) announced Tuesday.

The initial damage, described in a Pentagon release as "canopy sill longeron cracks found between the front and rear pilot seats," was discovered after a routine post-flight inspection on one of the jets. The discovery of cracks led to a fleet-wide inspection order.

Of the 157 F-16Ds in the fleet, 82 were found to have cracks and have been ordered to stand down. The remaining 75 have been cleared to resume normal activities. The Air Force is working with Lockheed Martin engineers to discover the cause of the cracks and what repair options there are.

"As aircraft accumulate flight hours, cracks develop due to fatigue from sustained operations. Fortunately, we have a robust maintenance, inspection and structural integrity program to discover and repair deficiencies as they occur."

- Lt. Col. Steve Grotjohn, deputy chief of the Weapon System Division

The other 812 F-16 jets, which include a number of different variants, are not impacted by the inspections.


Source: Defense News

 

[CougarKing]

Related: now the F16B fleet is put in the spotlight.

Defense News

Pentagon Tells International Partners to Inspect F-16B Fleet for Cracks
Aug. 20, 2014 - 05:22PM  |  By AARON MEHTA

WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon works to analyze and repair widespread cracks in its F-16D fleet, it is recommending that partner nations closely inspect their F-16B and D models.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force is bracing for a potential delay in training if the majority of its F-16D fleet is grounded for a significant period .

Cracks were first discovered on an F-16D model on July 31, and a Time Compliance Technical Order — a directive from the service — was quickly issued ordering the inspection of the entire F-16D fleet. That resulted in 82 of the service’s 157 F-16D models being grounded.

That inspection order applies to F-16B and F-16D models used around the world, an Air Force spokesman confirmed. While the US Air Force no longer operates the B model, Turkey, Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Denmark and Norway are among customers who would need to inspect their fleet.

A Pentagon news release referred to the damage as “canopy sill longeron cracks found between the front and rear pilot seats.” That is part of the frame of the aircraft that surrounds the cockpit area of the jet. When the canopy is lowered, it rests on the longeron.

(...EDITED)

 

[CougarKing]

The USAF will be deactivating one of 2 aggressor squadrons at Nellis AFB:

Source: Las Vegas Review Journal

One Nellis aggressor squadron being deactivated

The next time fighter jets take off from Nellis Air Force Base for a Red Flag air combat exercise, there will be fewer would-be “bad guys” to battle.

Up-and-coming pilots who will be flying their first 10 simulated combat missions will face an adversary force that has fewer sparring partners, a sign of the times as the military reduces its planes and personnel and U.S. combat operations wind down in Afghanistan.

That’s the word from Lt. Col. Greg “Papa” Wintill, commander of the 65th Aggressor Squadron — one of two squadrons at Nellis that play would-be enemies for Red Flag training. He confirmed last week that his squadron of 19 camouflage-painted F-15 Eagles will be deactivated in a ceremony on Sept. 26 in order to meet Pentagon budget constraints before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[MarkOttawa]

Relevant:

"Sources: Expect Next Year's USAF Budget To Continue Push for Cuts"
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140914/DEFREG02/309140021?

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

General Hostage,commander of Air Combat Command feels that simulators can replace the aggressor squadron.

 

[Kirkhill]

General Hostage?

 

[MarkOttawa]

Captive of the simulator.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

;D

http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/104754/general-gilmary-michael-hostage-iii.aspx

 

[MarkOttawa]

Hard times:

Welsh on Aging Fleets: ‘Airplanes Are Falling Apart’

Top U.S. Air Force officials said the service must protect funding to upgrade aging fleets of aircraft while investing in new technologies despite automatic budget cuts.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh was blunt in his warning about the condition of such aircraft as the F-16 fighter jet and the B-1 bomber, both of which have been flying for decades. The service recently grounded dozens of F-16D two-seater models made by Lockheed Martin Corp. after finding cracks between the front and rear pilot seats in a section called the canopy longeron sill, a strip of metal that affixes to the fuselage.

“Airplanes are falling apart,” he said during a presentation Tuesday at the Air Force Association’s annual conference. “I don’t care if it’s B-1 oil flanges that are breaking and starting fires or if it’s F-16 canopy longerons that are cracking. There’s just too many things happening because our fleets are too old. They’re just flat too old. We have to re-capitalize.”

Like other military services, the Air Force is grappling with how to properly fund such accounts as equipment, personnel and training amid an era of automatic budget cuts known as sequestration...

The service’s six acquisition priorities remain the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter; long-range strike bomber; the KC-46A refueling tanker; the combat rescue helicopter; joint surveillance target attack radar system replacement; and the T-X trainer, Welsh said...'
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/09/16/welsh-on-aging-fleets-airplanes-are-falling-apart/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[CougarKing]

The struggle to keep a token F-15 presence?

Defense News

US Air Force Trying To Protect F-15s In Europe
Sep. 16, 2014 - 05:27PM  |  By ORIANA PAWLYK 

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. — Air Force leaders are crossing their fingers that F-15 fighters will stay at least another year in Europe through the “Europe Reassurance Initiative,” a $1 billion funding plan the White House proposed in June currently in the hands of congressional members.

“As part of that billion dollars, we would propose monies in order to keep those F-15s in Europe for an additional year, ... so we’re hoping Congress will approve that as a good way forward,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told reporters during a joint briefing with Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh Tuesday.

Although the proposal would only be good for one year, James said there could be a secondary proposal depending on the European situation one year from now.

The Air Force proposed in the fiscal 2015 defense budget request in February to retire 51 F-15C Eagles, including 21 based overseas, a majority of which are with the 493rd Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, England. But the fighter mission is critical to maintaining a forward air presence given the latest developments with Russia’s repeated incursions in Ukraine.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[MarkOttawa]

1) New bomber:

B-2 Pilot’s Lessons For LRSB, America’s New Bomber
http://breakingdefense.com/2014/09/b-2-pilots-lessons-for-lrsb-americas-new-bomber/

2) Money?

Air Force to Invest Heavily in Hypersonic Aircraft
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=7c996cd7-cbb4-4018-baf8-8825eada7aa2&ID=1604&RootFolder=%2Fblog%2FLists%2FPosts

Mark
Ottawa

 

[CougarKing]

The A-10 saga continues:

Military.com

General: ‘We Don’t Have a Replacement’ for A-10, U-2
by MIKE HOFFMAN on SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

The Air Force does not have a suitable replacement for the planned divestiture of the A-10 Warthog aircraft and U-2 spy plane, senior service leaders said Sept. 16 at the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference, National Harbor, Md.

“I don’t want to cut the A-10 and the U-2 – we don’t have a replacement,” said Gen. Michael Hostage III, Commander, Air Force Air Combat Command.

As part of its budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, the service proposed retiring its entire fleets of A-10 attack planes and U-2 spy planes, and partial inventories of other aircraft. The proposed budget cuts to the A-10 and U-2 fleets are described by service officials as budget-driven necessities given current fiscal pressures.

The recommendations were driven in a large part by automatic budget cuts known as sequestration. Sending the close-air-support aircraft to the bone yard would save an estimated $4.2 billion over five years alone, Air Force officials have said.

(SNIPPED...END EXCERPT)