With its new, streamlined acquisition strategy in place and some marquee industry teaming arrangements formalized, the Air Force now plans to issue a request for proposals for its long-awaited Combat Rescue Helicopter acquisition as soon as possible, according to service and industry sources. 1251 words

The Air Force could begin using Raytheon's Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer on its F-16 fighter jets and B-52 bombers as soon as December, according to a company executive.821 words

The Pentagon's procurement accounts, which at the end of August reflected higher-than-expected unobligated funding totals, could bear a significantly larger share of the Pentagon's $54.7 billion potential sequestration bill if a long-term deficit-reduction plan is not enacted by Jan. 2, according to government documents, Pentagon data and defense analysts.536 words

Ten Air Force programs -- including the Space-Based Infrared System and the Joint Direct Attack Munition -- face possible production and funding delays due to restrictions imposed by the continuing resolution Congress passed late last month.468 words

The Pentagon yesterday released a "Western Hemisphere Defense Policy Statement," that "explains how the January 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance will shape DOD engagement in the Western Hemisphere." The document finds that "the capacity of national civil authorities, including law enforcement, throughout the hemisphere is uneven." Further, "In some countries civilian authorities have been overwhelmed by the magnitude of response required by the security challenges they face. This gap in civilian capacity has led some national leaders to expand their reliance on the armed forces to supplement law enforcement and provide humanitarian support."93 words

Air Force officials say they are "excited" about the future capabilities of the service's Air Operations Centers -- particularly the expected improved speed of command and the ability to work more efficiently.448 words

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL -- The Air Force's third Global Positioning System IIF satellite was successfully launched Wednesday morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. The Boeing-built space vehicle was sent into orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket booster at 8:10 a.m., the first minute of the day's launch window, and all data shows that the multiple Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle engines performed as planned, according to ULA.364 words

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL -- A senior United Launch Alliance official said this week that the lack of a formal fiscal year 2013 contract for launch services between the company and the Air Force could endanger the timing of launches scheduled for FY-15, as well as possibly one launch in FY-14.648 words

The Air Force last week issued a broad agency announcement, soliciting white papers for a program designed to draw quick, innovative solutions to various service needs from mostly small businesses.885 words

The Air Force solidified its plans for sustainment of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile fleet late last month by formalizing its future ICBM maintenance contracting strategy and by putting in place a bridge contract with Northrop Grumman to sustain the system until that new construct is ready for implementation. 1020 words

The Air Force is raising the contract ceiling of a launch support program by $125 million to accommodate continued orders -- and according to the service's Space and Missile Systems Center, the move is driven by persistent demand for launch services.354 words

The Air Force is asking the defense industry to help it move forward with a study that would support the service's intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance mission with the use of three-dimensional airborne technology, and expects to complete that study next summer, according to a service spokeswoman.600 words

Raytheon, recently selected as the alternate contractor on the Family of Advanced Beyond-Line-Of-Sight Terminals program, is expected to produce a demonstration of a functional FAB-T terminal for the Air Force by next summer and deliver a fully production-ready version by September 2015, according to a company official.1040 words

The Air Force has altered a contract for its C-5M aircraft, allowing Lockheed Martin to deliver to the service 10 computer-based training modules in addition to two trainers the company shipped to Dover Air Force Base, DE, earlier this year. 650 words

The Air Force is set to begin using a Lockheed Martin C-5M Flight Controls System Trainer for maintenance training at Dover Air Force Base, DE, this month, as part of the service's effort to start training on and using modified C-5 aircraft equipped with new, more fuel-efficient engines.689 words

Citing concerns about the adequacy of proposed government plans to test and evaluate Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, the Pentagon's top weapon tester last month advised Defense Department leaders he would not approve the statutorily required JSF test and evaluation master plan without key revisions, such as plans to subject the F-35 to "operationally realistic" electronic warfare threats.477 words

The Pentagon next month will begin publicly exploring ways to open up select portions of the Joint Strike Fighter program to competition, which could create opportunities for other defense contractors to grab a small slice of the estimated $1.1 trillion cost to sustain the new fighter fleet.609 words

The Air Force's general ledger program lacks the "critical functional capabilities" to generate accurate and reliable financial management information, which could hurt the service's ability to meet audit-readiness deadlines, the Pentagon's inspector general's office writes in a new report.1102 words

The V-22 Osprey program is moving ahead with plans to contract with Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing for non-recurring engineering work needed to install long-overdue cockpit voice recorders on the Defense Department's fleet of tiltrotor aircraft.415 words

The Pentagon has launched 14 efforts to rapidly transition mature technologies into pilot projects that could find permanent homes in the military's arsenal, with each one aimed at resolving an immediate need identified by combatant commanders.801 words