The Defense Department's $525 billion fiscal year 2013 budget request cuts Joint Strike Fighter procurement quantities, cancels at least two high-profile Air Force procurement programs and calls for the standing down of both tactical and airlift aircraft in the service's fleet, DOD officials revealed Jan. 26.897 words

The Defense Department is pointing to the high operating cost of the Global Hawk Block 30 unmanned aircraft as the reason why the Air Force program has been terminated, even though officials have remedied the issues it faced during operational testing. 1364 words

A senior member of the House Armed Services Committee is calling an Air Force plan to provide direct support to the Army's ground forces with C-130 aircraft instead of C-27J aircraft "penny wise and pound foolish."1157 words

The Australian government is preparing to make a formal decision in 2012 on procuring additional Joint Strike Fighter aircraft while at the same time looking to participate more heavily in manufacturing the F-35, according to a senior Australian official.787 words

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter claimed this week that the fiscal year 2013 budget request protects the nuclear triad, but at least one congressman is not convinced. Carter told reporters Jan. 26 that the budget includes funding for bomber aircraft, nuclear submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Yet in a statement the same day, House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) said the details show "the President is backing off his part of the deal" to fund nuclear operations in exchange for passing the New START treaty.89 words

The Air Force's Electronic Systems Center commander sent a note to his workforce earlier this month stating that the center has lost its focus on delivering capability, according to a service official.510 words

Air Force officials are halfway through the infrastructure design process for replacing the entire general-service vehicle fleet at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA, with plug-in electric vehicles, and they plan to start placing the PEVs on site early this calendar year, according to a service official.531 words

The Air Force and contractor Northrop Grumman have resolved an issue discovered in operational testing on the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures program's second phase, during which the LAIRCM system automatically reset itself on numerous occasions, according to a Northrop official.707 words

In the unlikely event that Congress allows the F-22 Raptor to be sold abroad, international partners would need to invest an estimated $14.3 billion to restart the aircraft's production line, modify the fighter to protect critical American technologies and acquire a fleet of 40 F-22s, according to a Defense Department report obtained by Inside the Air Force.844 words

Air Force officials are reviewing a final report they received from General Atomics on recent MQ-9 Reaper test flights that used two alternative fuels, with the certification of the fuel blends for the aircraft scheduled for early spring, according to a service spokeswoman.362 words

Congressional legislators this week reacted predictably to the Air Force's release of a draft document that will be used to make basing decisions for the Joint Strike Fighter's training center, with Arizona lawmakers urging the service to stick with its original decision and other congressional delegations continuing to push their districts as ideal homes for the fighter.924 words

The Joint Aerial Layer Network analysis of alternatives report was completed earlier this month and it establishes a governance structure for moving forward with formal work on the program, according to a service spokeswoman.419 words

Earlier this month, Air Force Space Command accepted the first Operationally Responsive Space satellite, which is the final milestone for the initial checkout of the satellite, according to an ORS official.487 words

The Air National Guard has documented a need for almost $1 billion in upgrade and modernization funds to keep its fleet of F-15 and F-16 fighter jet aircraft on par with combatant commander requirements, and more than half of those funds would be used to acquire Active Electronically Scanned Array radars. 791 words

The Air Force is preparing to move its B-52 training system integration lab into storage for a short time until it can award a contract for long-term sustainment of the lab, according to service officials.421 words

The Air National Guard has documented a need for more than half a billion dollars to address the structural issues and critical capability requirements of its C-5 Galaxy aircraft.687 words

The fixes made to the Marine Corps' short-takeoff, vertical-landing variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter actually improved the weight margin on the aircraft by 270 pounds, despite concerns by the Pentagon's acquisition chief last year that those fixes would add to the aircraft's weight, a Lockheed Martin official told reporters Jan. 20.725 words

Boeing has finalized plans for configuring the KC-46A tanker aircraft, a milestone that allows the Air Force to move ahead with plans for a preliminary design review of the new aircraft in March.497 words

The Pentagon projects the Joint Strike Fighter program will avoid $1.1 billion in previously estimated production and sustainment costs as a result of investments made by the Navy and Air Force in technologies designed to improve the manufacturing of a handful of components, according to the Navy three-star admiral overseeing the F-35 program.428 words

The Defense Department could need to conduct a major restructuring of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to meet deficit-reduction targets mandated by Congress, a Navy contract notice warns.589 words

A Republican House member wants the Obama administration to provide Congress with a risk assessment associated with the Pentagon's new Strategic Defense Guidance, laying out explicit areas of planning and investment due to be dialed back as the military reduces its earlier spending plans by nearly $500 billion over the next decade.753 words

The Pentagon's new Joint Operational Access Concept will serve as a guide for the services when developing capabilities, Lt. Gen. George Flynn, the Joint Staff director of joint force development, told reporters last week.736 words