The Air Force portion of the Defense Department's annual omnibus reprogramming request, set for submission to Congress in June, will propose a shift of fiscal year 2012 funding to cover "must-pay" bills dealing with fuel costs and overseas contingency operations. 640 words

A recent Air Force assessment of the Council of Governors' force-structure proposal is a bone of contention for the National Governors Association (NGA).1163 words

In a joint contracting effort run through NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, the Air Force and NASA are accepting industry bids to conduct multiple studies on the future of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle's upper-stage engine -- studies that will examine the feasibility of the two organizations' developing and procuring a common engine to drive down the cost of space launch.1057 words

The Defense Department this week announced a potential $10 billion sale of 42 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Japan, a deal furthered by formal assurances made by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz to his Japanese counterpart in January that the Air Force is committed to the stealth fighter.669 words

The launch of the Air Force's second Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite was postponed Thursday, about 45 minutes into its two-hour launch window, after operators at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, noticed a potentially overheating valve and frequency interference on the range. The satellite was scheduled for launch on the United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. A rescheduled launch date was not available at press time (May 3). "The AEHF launch is scrubbed for today," ULA wrote on its Twitter feed around 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.87 words

Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne recently completed some early developmental tests on a variant of the rocket's upper-stage engine, the RL10, that could create more commonality and generate savings among the EELV program's two types of rockets.466 words

Some of the changes the Air Force has made to its plans to supply Afghanistan with 20 light-attack aircraft in 2013 could jeopardize the safety of the Afghan air force pilots who will use the aircraft, according to industry sources. 804 words

The Air Force is set to receive a new batch of C-130J training devices in the wake of an uncertain future which hinges on an undetermined force-structure inventory, placing what one service division chief is calling a "heavy burden" on Air Force Materiel Command.679 words

The Pentagon in late July is scheduled to render a materiel development decision on the future of the Air Force's Weather Satellite Follow-on, the successor to the recently terminated Defense Weather Satellite System.702 words

An Air Force decision to slice a variant of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft program out of the fiscal year 2013 budget request was based on a "questionable cost and capability analysis," according to Washington Security Forum Director Rebecca Grant. 1018 words

House authorizers last week suggested a willingness to support the Air Force's request to retire 27 of its oldest C-5A Galaxy airlifters, a move the Defense Department believes will save more than $1 billion over five years.625 words

An Air Force-directed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance study finished last fall will inform an ISR needs statement the service anticipates completing in late fiscal year 2012 or early FY-13, according to a senior service official.667 words

The Air Force's top military official this week urged policymakers to loosen export-control restrictions and allow the service to share more of its unarmed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms with international partners.366 words

The Pentagon is asking Congress to tighten restrictions on bid protests filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, a proposal the department asserts would save millions of dollars annually -- but one that defense authorizers may avoid for jurisdictional reasons.887 words

U.S. Special Operations Command is asking Congress to fund a $143 million shortfall in the command's latest budget request to acquire significantly improved video capabilities for drones and aircraft, an urgent need endorsed by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta -- and the only unfunded requirement the department has sent to Congress this year.1051 words

New data shows the Defense Department falling behind in preparing required assessments of contractors' past performance despite major efforts to fix shortcomings in this area, according to a Pentagon memo.421 words

Lawmakers want the Pentagon to designate a senior defense official to be in charge of coordinating and overseeing data conversion for enterprise resource planning systems in light of concerns that poor execution of this task could cause delays in implementing these critical programs.867 words

The Air Force remains on track to achieve more than $3 billion in fiscal year 2012 efficiency savings that it proposed in the spring of 2011, a top service budget official told Inside the Air Force this week.411 words

A House panel is seeking quarterly briefings on the Pentagon's cyber operations and a report on related legal authorities.854 words