Managed airborne intel system hits field

Managed airborne intel system hits field: "The Combat Track II system, has been in production since 2004. Over time it's become a real staple for the air mobility users for whom it's primarily intended, program officials noted.

Combat Track II allows crew aboard the air mobility fleet, as well as on some bombers, to maintain full awareness of friendly and potential hostile aircraft positions. It also alerts them to ground threats, including mobile surface-to-air missile sites.

'Combat Track II has continued to be praised by the users and is a critical asset for cockpit situational awareness and threat avoidance in theater,'"

UPDATE 1-Lockheed says F-35 program not in trouble | Reuters

UPDATE 1-Lockheed says F-35 program not in trouble Reuters: "Lockheed Martin on Wednesday said it was continuing work to sharply reduce the costs of the F-35 fighter and did not believe the program was in trouble despite a report that the Pentagon will cut production of 122 airplanes through 2015.
Lockheed spokesman Chris Geisel said the company was running about four to six months late on finishing the final four of 19 developmental aircraft, which in turn prevented completion of all the flight tests planned by the end of 2009.
But he said the gap was narrowing between Pentagon and Lockheed projections about the cost and time required to complete the development program and the company was continuing its drive to lower overall costs on the program."

Gates orders delay in buying Lockheed's F-35 fighter jets | Business | Star-Telegram.com

Gates orders delay in buying Lockheed's F-35 fighter jets Business Star-Telegram.com: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates has directed Pentagon planners to delay purchases of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet to provide additional funding for development and testing.
Gates’ directive would cut planned purchases by 10 jets in fiscal 2011 and a total of 122 planes through 2015, according to a budget document. The cuts amount to 25 percent of the 483 planes originally scheduled in those years.
More than $2.8 billion that was previously budgeted to begin equipping the military with F-35s would instead be used to continue development of the next-generation combat jet."

Soldier's combat death in Iraq the first in 43 days - USATODAY.com

Soldier's combat death in Iraq the first in 43 days - USATODAY.com: "The combat death of a U.S. soldier Tuesday in Iraq was the first in 43 days, the longest stretch since the war began.
The soldier's death comes as American forces begin to intensify efforts to withdraw from Iraq. President Obama has said the combat mission in Iraq will cease for U.S. troops at the end of 2010, and all American forces will be withdrawn by the end of 2011. There are 112,000 U.S. troops there now.
Insurgent attacks and U.S. combat fatalities have fallen since mid-2007 after Gen. David Petraeus launched a counterinsurgency strategy backed by tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops."

BATS helps ID insurgents, hostages

BATS helps ID insurgents, hostages: "Like technology from the latest spy movie, a system using finger prints and retina scans helps Soldiers tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys in Iraq.

The Biometrics Automated Toolset System, otherwise known as BATS, is a database which assists in finding insurgents and other wanted individuals.

The system takes finger prints and retina scans and stores them with information like names, pictures and background information to form an individual profile. The profile provides information about an individual's past records, if the person has been previously detained, where they've worked or whether or not they are wanted for illegal activity.

BATS also can be used to help identify friendly forces."

Army to increase medevac support, add new CAB, more UAVs

Army to increase medevac support, add new CAB, more UAVs: "The Army's top operations officer said yesterday that not only will the Army add a new combat aviation brigade to the warfight, it will also increase the number of aircraft in medical evacuation companies.

Speaking at the annual Association of the U.S. Army Aviation Symposium and Exhibition here, Lt. Gen. James D. Thurman, G-3/5/7, told members and contractors that no force-wide transformational change to the aviation force was more important or consequential than the decision to increase aircraft in medevac companies from 12 to 15."

Boeing Laser Demonstrator Program Accepts Oshkosh Military Truck

Boeing Laser Demonstrator Program Accepts Oshkosh Military Truck: "Boeing has announced that it has accepted the Oshkosh Defense military truck that will carry a Boeing-built laser beam control system for the U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) program.
Boeing received the Oshkosh Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) on Dec. 17 at the Oshkosh facility in Oshkosh, Wis.
'This demonstration program has successfully transitioned from the design phase to the fabrication phase,' said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems' Directed Energy Systems unit. 'This transformational, solid-state laser weapon capability will provide speed-of-light, ultra-precision capability that will dramatically improve warfighters' ability to counter rocket, artillery and mortar projectiles.'"

Army seeks additional CAB to reach dwell goal

Army seeks additional CAB to reach dwell goal: "In order to meet the Army's dwell-time goal, the service will add a new combat aviation brigade.

'That's coming out of resources we already have; we are still wrestling with where that's going to go, where that's going to stand up,' said Maj. Gen. James O. Barclay III, commanding general of the Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, Ala.

'That will help some in the fight,' he said. 'That's one of the small steps we are taking as we are trying to align and ensure with all (components) that we can meet and try to get at what General Casey's goal is: one to two.'"

Army to spend heavily on new aircraft - Nextgov

Army to spend heavily on new aircraft - Nextgov: "The Army's deputy chief of staff for operations today signaled that the service will continue to invest heavily in high-demand aircraft needed in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.
Speaking at an Association of the United States Army conference, Lt. Gen. James Thurman said Army aviation is the service's most requested asset around the globe, with some units spending as much time on deployments as they do at home"

Travis’ first mass launch a success

Travis’ first mass launch a success: "The 60th and 349th Air Mobility Wings at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., conducted the base's first mass launch of nine aircraft Dec. 21.

Base officials said the Total Force launch effort was an opportunity for operations, maintenance and support personnel to train together on a larger scale than normal.

Travis routinely launches three-ship KC-10A Extender formations, but this was the first time the base launched three Major Weapon Systems in rapid succession.

Although not part of the nine-ship package, base officials said to make the event even more symbolic of the airpower that Travis generates on a daily basis, a Navy E-6B TACAMO aircraft - also stationed at Travis - led the charge. This was followed by nine 60th and 349th AMW aircraft, including six KC-10As, two C-17A GlobeMaster IIIs, a C-5B Galaxy, and a transient Air Force Reserve Command KC-135R Stratotanker from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., completed the push.

In less than 15 minutes, Team Travis launched 11 aircraft with a gross weight exceeding 4.6 million pounds."

Air Force holds off on retiring famed reconnaissance plane | Stars and Stripes

Air Force holds off on retiring famed reconnaissance plane Stars and Stripes: "the high-altitude U-2 reconnaissance plane is so valued for its intelligence-gathering capabilities that, even in an age of high-tech unmanned drones, the old spy plane has found a whole new mission over the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.
The U-2 reconnaissance plane’s mission is changing. The new mission amounts to a landmark shift in how the venerable aircraft can be used: The U-2 now gives direct support to ground operations, including assisting troops in firefights.
Unmanned drones can “look” — get pictures of the battlefield. But so far, they can’t “listen” — eavesdrop electronically.
The U-2 does both."

Air Force officials issue notice of intent for F-35 basing

Air Force officials issue notice of intent for F-35 basing: "Air Force officials here published the notice of intent in the Federal Register Dec. 30 to prepare an environmental impact statement to assess the potential environmental impacts of a proposal to establish operational F-35 Lightning II aircraft at one or more existing Air Force and Air National Guard installations within the continental United States.

The F-35, the Air Force variant of the joint strike fighter, is the next generation, stealth air-to-ground fighter, designed to complement the F-22 Raptor and replace aging and legacy aircraft.

The proposed basing alternatives include"

KFOR drawing down to 10,000 troops

KFOR drawing down to 10,000 troops: "The Kosovo Force will transition from about 14,000 to 10,000 NATO forces by Jan. 31, due to improvements in security, said the commander of Multi-National Task Force-East.

Brig. Gen. Al Dohrmann told media in Kosovo last week that improvements in security have prompted the Kosovo Force to move its posture to a 'deterrent presence.'

'KFOR will rely more heavily on reserve forces that are able to quickly and decisively respond whenever and wherever necessary in support of local structures as a third responder,' Dohrmann said."

Brigade Combat Team Modernization To Enter Production

Brigade Combat Team Modernization To Enter Production: "Boeing reports that Increment 1 of the U.S. Army's Brigade Combat Team Modernization program was approved to begin Low-Rate Initial Production early in 2010 as a result of the Milestone C production review by the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) on Dec. 22.
As the prime contractor, Boeing, along with Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) [NYSE: SAI], is responsible for the development and production of Increment 1. The capabilities are planned to be fielded to Infantry Brigade Combat Teams beginning in 2011."

86th AW expands U.S. Air Forces Africa support with first Super Hercules flight

86th AW expands U.S. Air Forces Africa support with first Super Hercules flight: "The C-130J is the latest addition to the C-130 fleet, replacing C-130Es. The 86th AW is the first wing outside the U.S. to have the C-130J assigned. The unit began receiving the Super Hercules in April 2009, and in late December took delivery of the 10th and 11th aircraft in the fleet of 14 to be assigned to the 37th AS and 86th AW."

USAFE Airmen retool to enhance tradition of Building Partnerships

USAFE Airmen retool to enhance tradition of Building Partnerships: "The Airmen of U.S. Air Forces in Europe are charting new territory in tackling one of the Air Force's newest core functions: Building Partnerships.

The lesson that international partnerships are essential to success in war and peace is not new. The Office of the Secretary of Defense directed U.S. European Command to develop a theater campaign plan which explicitly places Building Partnerships at the forefront of U.S. military strategy.

To support the combatant commander, USAFE also developed a strategy that includes building partner capacity and cooperative relationships as priority focus areas on par with combating terrorism and force modernization."

MC-12 arrives, heralds activation of 4th ERS

MC-12 arrives, heralds activation of 4th ERS: "The newest aircraft to the Air Force's inventory arrived Dec. 27, 2009, to Bagram Airfield. The MC-12 aircraft, tail number 090623, was the first of an undisclosed number of aircraft for the new 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron here.

Following the MC-12's arrival, the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron was activated to carry out MC-12 operations in the Afghan theater of operations."

Robots to shape wars of the future - Army News, news from Iraq, - Army Times

Robots to shape wars of the future - Army News, news from Iraq, - Army Times: "Robots may one day be more effective than human soldiers on the battlefield and they may have a sense of ethics — even a sense of guilt, says a robotics expert who has done a study with the support of the Army’s research office.
Ethical robots that can use lethal force on the battlefield would adhere to international law and rules of engagement, Ronald C. Arkin told Army Times on Dec. 15. Arkin describes how this could work in his 2009 book “Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots.” He is with the Mobile Robot Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Here’s what the future of robots may hold:"

U.S. troops testing British-style camo | Stars and Stripes

U.S. troops testing British-style camo Stars and Stripes: "British and American soldiers soon could be hard to tell apart if the U.S. Army adopts a camouflage pattern similar to one that the British have already picked out to conceal their troops in Afghanistan.
U.S. soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment in eastern Afghanistan are wearing new uniforms featuring the 'MultiCam' camouflage pattern"

Unmanned Aerial Systems aid 1st AF mission

Unmanned Aerial Systems aid 1st AF mission: "Unmanned aircraft are currently used by the Air Force for long-endurance, medium and high altitude surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and operate primarily outside the borders of the United States in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

'We're working toward developing standardized policies and procedures―a necessary template―for all services to integrate and gain FAA approval for domestic UAS operations,' said 1st Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Garry Dean."