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The article focuses on the U.S. Air Force's plan to replace its air-ground surveillance fleet. Topics discussed include the Air Force's decision to shift to a smaller Joint Stars, information on the Joint Stars replacement aircraft from Northrop Grumman and the service's intent to procure a system with as much existing technology as possible in order to reduce the development cost of a Jstars replacement.

The article discusses several proposals contained in the defense budget presented by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama for the 2015 fiscal year, and political controversy likely to surround them. Issues addressed include recommendations to retire the U-2 spy plane, abandon work on the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft, and renew funding for the U.S. Air Force's Combat Rescue Helicopter.

The article discusses the U.S. Air Force's incremental buying strategy. The effects of the scandal in which former procurement official Darleen Druyun was tried and sentenced to jail for illegally awarding contracts to the aerospace company Boeing and the selection of a replacement for the KC-135 tanker are examined. Acquisition officers David Van Buren, Mark Shackelford, and Marvin Sambur look at the Air Force's decision to purchase mature technologies and rebuild the workforce.

The article reports on the concerns about the ability of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to fairly conduct competition, which are raised by the U.S. Air Force's $35-billion refueler deal. It is said that the deal is also thwarting Airbus's plans to secure a stateside manufacturing foothold. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends the Air Force to reopen discussions with the offerors, obtain revised proposals, re-evaluate the revised proposals, and make a new source selection decision.

The article reports that the U.S. Air Force is resetting talks for the retirement of A-10 aircraft as it is a single-mission aircraft designed to provide close air support (CAS), and making way for Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft. Topics discussed include U.S. Air Force's fight with the U.S. Congress on the issue of retiring A-10, a summit on CAS being hosted by Air Combat Command chief General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, and lack of trained F-35 maintainers.

The article focuses on space transport company Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) mission to send a space cargo vessel to the International Space Station. It states the test flight of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule was initiated under the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program and launched on May 22, 2012. It mentions that SpaceX has also submitted a proposal to certify the Falcon 9 for U.S. Air Force launches.

The article focuses on reductions in military satellite spending in 2012. It states the U.S. Air Force plans on ordering satellites in bulk to stabilize the satellite industry and reduce costs, pending Congressional approval. It mentions there is uncertainty if aerospace company Lockheed Martin's Global Positioning System III will survive anticipated military budget cuts. It comments on military-commercial partnerships where commercial operators host government payloads on their satellites.

The article reports on flight training and simulation technologies being considered by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for fast-jet training involving the T-X training system, a replacement for the Northrop Grumman T-38C system. It focuses on the question of whether budget considerations would prevent the USAF from being able to implement the T-X as quickly as it would like to do so.

The article examines procurement and budget management by the U.S. Air Force following Defense Secretary Robert Gates' announcement he would request only a two percent increase in overall defense spending in Fiscal 2012. Air Force General Norton Schwartz expresses confidence Gates' targets can be met through savings in procurement planning and maintenance programs.

The article focuses on the plans being drafted by U.S. Air Force officials for a 2011 demonstration of a global positioning system (GPS)-tracking system for ascending rockets as part of a comprehensive transformation of the Pentagon's launch ranges. 14th Air Force commander Lieutenant General Larry James said that the planned demonstration for 2011 is designed to prove the value of GPS metric tracking of launch vehicles as they boost into orbit. The development of an autonomous flight destruction system is also included in the effort.

The article reports on slight changes to the source-selection plan for the U.S. Air Force's 35 billion U.S. dollar KC-X program. According to Air Force acquisition czar Ashton Carter, he is sticking by the KC-X draft request for proposals, but is willing to address questions from the contractors. Boeing protested its loss with a 767-based design, which resulted in the termination of the 1.5 billion U.S. dollar contract with Northrop Grumman/EADS.

The article reports that the U.S. Navy has completed testing its new Growler electronic attack platform. The EA-18G Growler marks a new era in the Pentagon's ability to conduct electronic attack missions more effectively around the globe. It is expected to bring much-needed relief to a heavily overtasked and aging EA-6B fleet, which has single-handedly been conducting the Pentagon's escort jamming mission since the U.S. Air Force's decision to retire the EF-111 fleet prematurely in 1998.

The article examines the role of projects involving advanced radar designs in changes in the U.S. defense budget and program delays in Fiscal 2011 and beyond. Lieutenant General Dave Deptula of the Air Force reveals the technology reassessment of the service's initiatives to slow Joint Stars upgrades and production of Block 40 Global Hawks. Air Force officials are also reviewing the Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned aerial system.

The article reports on the decision of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to allow the Air Force to oversee procurement of its own KC-135 replacement aircraft. The Air Force is now required to issue a draft request for proposals that will set the rules for the forthcoming KC-X competition between Boeing and a Northrop Grumman/EADS team for the contract to build 179 new aerial refuelers. Gates has stressed his confidence in the ability of the Air Force to manage the issues related to the KC-X competition.

The article considers the attempts of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to pressure the Air Force to develop a new unmanned aircraft system (UAS) soon. Although the DoD is attempting to maximize the production of Predators and Reapers, the acquisition office of Dyke Weatherington, deputy director of the DoD's UAS Task Force, is trying to encourage the Air Force to create an MQ-X or initial capabilities document. According to the Air Force Safety Center, of the 55 Class A accidents, 50 were Predators and five were Reapers.

The article addresses the debate over the testing and safety of the Global Hawk high-altitude Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and the Predator and Reaper medium-altitude UASs in the U.S. Both Northrop Grumman and the Air Force are debating over the reasons behind the expected delays to the Global Hawk high altitude UAS. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense (DoD) is pressuring the Air Force to produce a new unmanned aircraft program because of high accident rates with its Predator and Reaper aircraft.

The article reports that the administration of Barack Obama will be facing two problems as it develops a Pentagon acquisition strategy, a dearth of skilled program overseers and a consolidated industrial marketplace. It is noted that amid a recession, the pressure is on at the Pentagon to spend its money more carefully. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) acquisition workforce is close to 15,000.

The article reports on the goal of the U.S. Air Force to demand for more capacity to know about what assets are in space. The U.S. has long used ground networks and adapted its space-based assets to track and assess the military capabilities of other countries' spacecraft. The Space-Based Surveillance Satellite (SBSS) Block 10 satellite is leading the effort to provide in-orbit intelligence.

The article reports on the proposal of the U.S. Air Force to stop the procurement of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and replace it with the MQ-9 Reaper fleet starting 2010. Such plan was opposed by the U.S. Department of Defense's procurement office and instead supports the continuous procurement and operation of the smaller Predator UAV. The Predator is less expensive that the $13 million Reaper.

The article reveals that weapon engineers at the U.S. Air Force's Eglin development center are fine-tuning performance on their precision-guided munitions while also pursuing low-tech solutions to boost performance on a number of systems. Increasingly, U.S. aircraft are called upon to execute a show of force, says Bruce Simpson, director of the 308th Armaments Systems Wing at the Air Armament Center. Also to improve short-range direct-attack capabilities, the Air Force and Boeing are developing new software for the SDB.

The article reports that Boeing is facing a problem as it tries to overturn the U.S. Air Force's decision to award a $35-billion contract to a competing Airbus design for the KC-X refueling tanker. Arrogance about its relationship with the U.S. Defense Department, lack of focus on customer requirements and reluctance to provide detailed pricing data contributed to Boeing's stunning loss of a Defense Department contract to build aerial refuelers, according to a source close to the 767 tanker team.

The article discusses the U.S. Air Force's bomber that is set to be launched by 2018. Air Combat Command director Major General Mark Matthews explains that the bomber could incorporate more exotic capabilities like unmanned operation and supersonic speeds and would fill the bomber gap left by the stealthy B-2 in the 1970s. The bomber design would hinge on survivability, available funding, foreign basing rights and the outcome of the Navy's Unmanned Combat Aerial System Demonstrator program.

The article reports on the efforts of the U.S. Air Force to protect its space operations. It lunched a new study to reassess and protect its space operations. Another effort is using the Counter Communications systems, which employs mobile antennas to jam an enemy's access to space. Another concern of the USAF is the ability of micro-satellites to evade U.S. ground-and-space-based sensors that track objects in orbit.

The article reports that the intertwining debates over the upcoming U.S. defense budget and the sweeping Quadrennial Defense Review are expected to expose the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as the aviation program to undergo the most radical surgery. In turn, the impacts will ripple through a host of military aviation programs and affect changes in the C-5, C-17, follow-on tanker, F/A-22 and unmanned combat aircraft programs. Senior U.S. Air Force and aerospace officials hotly debated these issues during the annual Air Force Association conference.

The article reports that with their pending teaming agreement, aviation contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. and EADS are trying to shape the agenda as the U.S. Department of Defense sits down in coming weeks to craft new plans for buying modern, U.S. Air Force aerial refuelers. But industry officials suggest an influential study now being reviewed at the Department could totally alter the direction of the procurement plans, sending potential bidders back to the drawing board and opening the field to additional competitors. The study, drafted by the Air Force's preferred think tank, Rand, proposes to divide the program into an aircraft buy and a separate tanker conversion contract. Previously, the Defense Dept. envisioned one contractor to provide the aircraft and military modifications.

The article reports that six out of nine partner nations of F-35 development program for Lockheed Martin F-35 multirole fighter will substantially maintain, repair and overhaul and upgrade (MRO&U) work on the single engine and stealthy fighter. It presents the views of U.S Air Force Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan regarding the construction of heavy airframe maintenance in the U.S. It mentions that the much of the MRO&U work in Italy will be managed by Italian aerospace company Alenia.

The article discusses defense contractor and aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. wining a low-bid contract to buy into the U.S. Air Force's replacement program for the KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft. The replacement program, the KC-46, has run into numerous difficulties, including defects that were discovered in the plane's wiring, cost overruns, and schedule slippages.

The article reports on aircraft manufacturer Boeing's proposal for the U.S. Air Force's T-38C replacement program which is the largest tender for fast-jet trainers. It mentions the views of Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, regarding Boeing's partnership with aerospace company Saab for developing a new aircraft for the program. Also mentioned are proposals of other competitors for the tender including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics.

The article reports that the U.S. Air Force is facing difficulty in linking F-35 and F-22 aircrafts operationally as the two fighter aircrafts cannot share data with the fleet or each other. Topics include the Air Force's plans to equip all aircrafts with the F-35 Multi-function Advanced Data Link system; the Multi- Domain Adaptable Processing System (MAPS) program that aims to connect aircrafts to fourth-generation fighters; and inclusion of infrared search and track sensor in MAPS hardware.

The article focuses on the U.S. Air Force's issuance of final request for proposals for its bomber project. Topics include the competition between Northrop Grumman and the Boeing/Lockheed Martin team, 500 million dollar cost of each aircraft and the program goal of delivering 100 long-range, stealthy strike aircraft.

The article offers information on the United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Atlas V and Delta IV rocket launcher families that calls for maintenance in order to lessen the impact of a satellite grounding during rocket launching event. It informs that Atlas V is less expensive of ULA's fleet but the U.S. Air Force's anticompetitive pressure on the Atlas V has made it difficult for Russia to supply RD-180 engines for the Atlas V.

The article examines procurement of launch vehicles by the U.S. Air Force. Factors which could reduce or prevent the planned purchase of 36 Atlas V launch vehicles from aerospace industries firm United Launch Alliance (ULA) are examined including the impact of U.S. sanctions on Russia on he import of RD-180 rocket engines used in the Atlas V from that country and a lawsuit filed by Space Exploration Technologies (Space X) claiming it was excluded from bidding for the launch vehicle contract.

The article discusses the lawsuit filed by Elon Musk, chief executive officer (CEO) and chief technology officer (CTO) of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) against the U.S. Air Force, and its impact on the space launch industry. The lawsuit, filed April 28, 2014 in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, alleges that the Air Force shut it out of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) competition. It also reports on the first stage success of his Falcon 9 reusable launcher.

The article presents information on the plan of the U.S. Air Force to launch two satellites to spy on activities in the geosynchronous orbit belt, which was revealed by General William Shelton, head of the U.S. Air Force Space Command. It mentions the developers of the satellites, the concern of U.S. Department of Defense's leaders on the space control technologies among potential adversaries and the route of the satellites.

The article discusses U.S. Congress opposition to plans by the U.S. Air Force to modernize the cockpits of their Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft. Topics include the proposed updates to the planes' systems needed to meet Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) requirements, the broader Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) proposal by aerospace corporation Boeing, and the political stalling of the plans as of January 2014.

The article examines the development of the F-35 jet fighter plane by the U.S. armed forces. Planned flight testing of weapons of the airplane including the GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition, GBU-12 Laser-Guided Bomb and Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (Amraam) by the Marine Corps and Air Force in 2014 are examined in relationship to the Marine Corps plan to deploy the plane operationally in 2014.

The article discusses the U.S. Air Force's (USAF) needs for combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopters. Bernie Willi of Air Combat Command says that a combat rescue helicopter plan to be completed in the fall of 2012 will evaluate the number of rotorcraft which the service needs, while a request for proposal (RPF) for the Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) is scheduled for release in June 2012. The article also discusses the state of USAF's fleet of Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters.

The article examines the decision of the aerospace industries firm Boeing Co. to close its aircraft factory in Wichita, Kansas by the end of 2013. Concerns of the U.S. Air Force that the closing of the facility will have a negative impact on Boeing's ability to fulfill its contract to develop and produce the KC-46S airtanker are considered.

The article discusses an agreement between the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and the U.S. Army concerning airlift support. The article notes the possible termination of the Alenia C-27J transport aircraft program and looks at the Army's attempts to reduce the number of airframes in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) fleet. The article says that the Army has criticized the Air Force's responsiveness and delays in airlift support in Afghanistan.

The article discusses the U.S. Air Force's GPS III (global positioning system) program, examining possible funding cuts by the U.S. Department of Defense, the development of the satellite constellation by Lockheed Martin, and the use of jammers to block GPS signals. Other topics include the dual launch of satellites by Lockheed Martin and the United Launch Alliance, the use of common practices to reduce costs, and upgrades to the Air Force's GPS constellation.

The article discusses the development of new equipment and the upgrading of forces for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Programs to develop a replacement for the Lockheed Martin F-22 jet fighter, a next-generation missile, and airborne weapons for the U.S. missile defense system are examined. Avionics upgrades for F-16 aircraft, cracking in the structure of the F-15 fighter jet, and enhancements to the F-22 are discussed.

The article discusses the U.S. Air Force's (USAF) work in the government launch sector, looking at contracts with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) and the development of guidelines which would allow other vehicles to be certified. Spacecraft companies such as Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Orbital Sciences Corp., and EADS Astrium could submit vehicles for an orbital-suborbital small and medium space-lift program (OSP-3) contract.

The article discusses U.S. criteria for commercial rocket companies such as Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Orbital Sciences Corp., and Astrium which are developing rockets for the national security launch sector. The U.S. Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, and National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) have developed requirements for companies that wish to participate in launch competitions. SpaceX spacecraft including the Falcon 9 are also examined.

The article discusses the U.S. Air Force's (USAF) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) fleet. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley discusses the need for oversight and alignment in the ISR portfolio due to the number capabilities and enhancement programs. The Joint Stars and Global Hawk ground surveillance fleets, the Lockheed Martin U-2, and the Gorgon Stare system are examined.

The article discusses plans for operational efficiency gains and cost cutting in operation of surveillance aircraft including the U-2, Global Hawk, and MC-12W Project Liberty by the U.S. Air Force 9th Reconnaissance Wing. The efficiency program is noted in the context of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan for spending cuts. Vice Commander Colonel Robert Yahn of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing is noted.

The article discusses the U.S. Air Force Global Hawk and U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programs, and a June 2010 memorandum of agreement to coordinate them for reasons of efficiency. Both programs focus on development of high-altitude reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The article discusses research on battlefield surveillance and intelligence technology being undertaken by the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The article discusses the USAF Blue Devil program, the goal of which is to collocate signal collection and imagery intelligence technology on tactical Hawker Beechcraft King Air 90 airplanes.

This article reports that the U.S. government is unlikely to fund the development of unmanned air vehicles and weapons while it focuses on a new bomber for the Air Force. Replacement of the unmanned Predator/Reaper aircraft is a long-range goal and officials are arguing over its ultimate design. Air Force officials are also pushing for approval of funding to develop a new medium-range air-to-air missile.

The article reports on Pakistan's planned use of 500-pound-class bombs and night-fighting technology in tribal-area combat with the Taliban. U.S. Air Force officials are reported to say that Pakistan will receive F-16C/D fighter jets and upgrades to existing F-16A/B jets. U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley is quoted regarding Pakistan's request for the fighter jets. Other support the U.S. will provide includes munitions, night-vision goggles, and training.

The article stresses that the changes by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to the final request for proposals (RFP) for the KC-X tanker of the Air Force released in 2010 may be insufficient to maintain competition. The RFP was structured by DoD officials to encourage Northrop Grumman to bid. According to Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn, the forthcoming KC-X source selection is the flagship program for the acquisition reform of the department, which is aimed at promoting transparency and motivating contractors to deliver on cost and schedule.