United States Air Force

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August 2008
- Boeing Threatens to Ditch Air Force Tanker Bid
  
  Wall Street Journal | Aug 22, 08 4:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Boeing has warned the Pentagon it will pull out of the new bidding to build a fleet of air tankers unless it gets an extra four months to prepare a bid, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Boeing pullout would leave the Air Force with no competition for a $35 billion contract to replace 179 aging refueling planes. More »
July 2008
- The Associated Press: F-15 crashes in Nevada during training, killing 1
  
  ap.google.com | Jul 31, 08
- Air Force Link - Home
  
  U.S. Air Force | Jul 30, 08
  
  Home Page for the US Air Force
- US Nuke Bomb Crew Caught Napping
  
  Reuters | Jul 25, 08 4:42 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A three-man US missile crew fell asleep while in possession of top secret launch codes for nuclear missiles, reports Reuters. It happened earlier this month at a Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota—the same site of a breach last year in which nuclear weapons were erroneously loaded on a B-52 and flown to Louisiana. More »
- No Survivors in Crash of US Bomber off Guam
  
  Associated Press | Jul 23, 08 3:16 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - The US Air Force said today all six crew members aboard a B-52 bomber that crashed Monday off Guam were killed. A wide search effort has shifted focus from rescue to recovery of the crew, said officials at Andersen Air Force Base on the Pacific island. More »
- B-52 Crashes Off Guam
  
  Associated Press | Jul 21, 08 6:21 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A US B-52 bomber with six crew members crashed near the island of Guam today, AP reports. A dozen planes and ships have been deployed by the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard to search for survivors. Rescuers have found at least two people, but their condition was not immediately available. The search area of floating debris and oil covers 70 square miles. More »
- Air Force Seeks Anti-Terror $16M for 'Comfort Pods'
  
  Washington Post | Jul 18, 08 3:37 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Air Force chiefs have sought $16 million in anti-terrorism funds to build luxurious "comfort capsules" to be installed in military aircraft for VIP officer travel, reports the Washington Post . The project's costs have soared as finicky generals demand changes, with modifications in the plush leather seats—including a switch from brown to Air Force blue —estimated at $70,000 alone. More »
- Fighter Jet Dazzles Airshow
  
  Reuters | Jul 14, 08 3:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Aviation experts were treated to a display of the world’s most advanced fighter jet at the kickoff of the Farnborough International Airshow today in England, Reuters reports. In its first international exhibition, the Lockheed Martin F-22 “Raptor” executed a dizzying array of flips, dips, and dives as it showed off the dual engines that allow it to achieve twice the speed of sound. More »
- Pentagon to Re-Open $35B Air Force Tanker Bid
  
  Associated Press | Jul 9, 08 12:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Pentagon will re-open a $35 billion contract to build the Air Force's fleet of new refueling tankers and pick a new winner by the end of the year, congressional sources say. The Office of the Secretary of Defense—not the Air Force—will oversee the new competition between Boeing Co. and a team led by Northrop Grumman Corp. More »
- Gitmo 'Torture' Modeled on Chinese Grilling of US POWs
  
  New York Times | Jul 2, 08 3:37 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Guantanamo Bay interrogators learned their techniques from Chinese Communists who used them on American POWs in the Korean War, the New York Times reports. A 1957 Air Force chart labeled Communist Coercive Methods for Eliciting Individual Compliance detailed methods like prolonged standing and exposure to cold, and was used as a training aid by military trainers. The chart was copied verbatim for use at Guantanamo. More »
June 2008
- Top Engineers Shun Military
  
  New York Times | Jun 25, 08 2:15 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Greater "geek cachet" and higher pay is diverting engineering managers from the military into places like Microsoft and Google, the New York Times reports. The result is a dearth of managers overseeing military projects, which government investigators largely blame for long delays and $295 billion in cost overruns. The shortage has forced the military to increasingly rely on consultants, who often lack the skills and incentive to hold down spending. More »
- Lesbians Bear Brunt of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
  
  New York Times | Jun 23, 08 8:08 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Debates about gays in the military have focused on men, but new information reveals that lesbians have faced much greater "don't ask, don't tell" challenges. Although women make up only 15% of Army and Air Force personnel, nearly half of the soldiers and airmen discharged for open homosexuality were women. Both the military and gay rights groups are uncertain of what causes the disparity. More »
- Army Snubs Air Force, Takes On Air Duties in Iraq
  
  New York Times | Jun 21, 08 8:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Fed up with what it sees as shoddy help from an overstretched Air Force, the Army has begun an unprecedented operation to provide its own air support in Iraq, the New York Times reports. The year-old Army program uses a hodgepodge of about 25 aircraft—some manned, some operated by remote control—mainly to provide surveillance, find roadside bombs, and hunt insurgents. Much to the dismay of the Air Force, defense chief Gates is on board, and plans are under way for a similar program in Afghanistan. More »
- US: Israeli Exercise Was Dry Run for Iran Strike
  
  New York Times | Jun 20, 08 6:36 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A recent Israeli exercise looked to US officials very much like a rehearsal for a strike on Iran, the New York Times reports. The Pentagon also believes the massive exercise in the first week of June, involving over a hundred fighter jets, was a message to the world that Israel is ready to use force if Iran's nuclear program cannot be halted by peaceful means . “There’s a lot of signaling going on at different levels,” one Pentagon official tells the Times. More »
- Nuclear Parts Still Missing: Pentagon Report
  
  Financial Times (UK) | Jun 19, 08 2:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The investigation that resulted in the dismissal of top US Air Force brass two weeks ago also found that hundreds of nuclear-missile parts remain missing, the Financial Times reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Pentagon needed "to re-establish positive control of these sensitive, classified components" in announcing the firings June 5; the report's conclusions present further embarrassment. More »
- GAO Backs Boeing's Protest of $40B-Deal
  
  Seattle Times | Jun 18, 08 1:54 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Congressional investigators today seconded Boeing's protest of the US Air Force's decision to award a lucrative tanker contract to a competitor and its European partner, the Seattle Times reports. The Government Accountability Office said it found "a number of significant errors that could have affected the outcome of what was a close competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman," and recommended that the service hold a new competition. More »
- Tough Calls Await on Boeing Defense Bid
  
  Seattle Times | Jun 12, 08 3:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Government Accountability Office must rule by next Thursday on Boeing’s appeal of an Air Force deal granting European rival Airbus a multi-billion dollar tanker contract—and CEO Jim McNerney has a tough call ahead if Boeing loses, the Seattle Times reports. He can ground the appeal, or draw more attention to political concerns neither the military nor GAO was allowed to consider. More »
- Nuke Blunder Last Straw for Booted Air Force Brass
  
  Air Force Times | Jun 5, 08 3:30 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Secretary of the Air Force and the service's chief of staff were forced to resign today on the heels of a report highly critical of the handling of nuclear weapons and technology, the Air Force Times reports. More »
- Wills Lands Splashy Training in Caribbean
  
  Associated Press | Jun 1, 08 1:41 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Instead of heading to duty in the Persian Gulf, one Sub Lieutenant Wales is set to embark on several weeks of training in the Caribbean with Britain's Royal Marines and Royal Navy. Prince William "commendably wanted to be as close to the front line as possible," says a rear admiral, but deployment to the Persian Gulf was considered too risky, the AP reports. More »
May 2008
- Air Force Pulls Misleading Ad
  
  Military Times

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Stories

Boeing Threatens to Ditch Air Force Tanker Bid

The Associated Press: F-15 crashes in Nevada during training, killing 1

Air Force Link - Home

US Nuke Bomb Crew Caught Napping

No Survivors in Crash of US Bomber off Guam

B-52 Crashes Off Guam

Air Force Seeks Anti-Terror $16M for 'Comfort Pods'

Fighter Jet Dazzles Airshow

Pentagon to Re-Open $35B Air Force Tanker Bid

Gitmo 'Torture' Modeled on Chinese Grilling of US POWs

Top Engineers Shun Military

Lesbians Bear Brunt of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Army Snubs Air Force, Takes On Air Duties in Iraq

US: Israeli Exercise Was Dry Run for Iran Strike

Nuclear Parts Still Missing: Pentagon Report

GAO Backs Boeing's Protest of $40B-Deal

Tough Calls Await on Boeing Defense Bid

Nuke Blunder Last Straw for Booted Air Force Brass

Wills Lands Splashy Training in Caribbean

Air Force Pulls Misleading Ad