Daily Report

Seventeenth Air Force at Sembach?: We are still awaiting official word about the location of 17th Air Force, the air component for US Africa Command. But the Air Force dropped a big hint March 28 that the Africa-centric air operations will be run out of Sembach, Germany, when it announced the selections for 17th Air Force’s leadership. Maj. Gen. Ronald Ladnier, currently commander of the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB, Ill., was selected for reassignment to Sembach as 17th Air Force commander and consequently AFRICOM’s air component commander. His deputy will be Brig. Gen. Michael Callan, who is currently serving as commander of 23rd AF, Air Force Special Operations Command’s warfighting headquarters, at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The generals’ official biographies now also list Sembach, which is just northeast of Kaiserslautern, as their next destination. One caveat: While both the biographies and selection announcement list Sembach as an air base, USAF has considered the facility as Sembach Annex under the umbrella of Ramstein Air Base since 1995 when portions of Sembach reverted to host-nation control.

Cyber Lobbying: Eighteen states have until July 1 to submit information to the Air Force that makes the case for why a location in their respective territory stands out and should host Air Force Cyber Command headquarters. But the winning location now likely will not be announced until September 2009, USAF said in a March 28 release that provides an update on the selection process. The Air Force’s original goal was to pick the permanent headquarters before AFCYBER formally stands up in October. That is no longer deemed possible. Instead USAF now intends to issue its call for the information by May 15. Once the responses are in, Air Force officials will visit each of the locations to meet with community and installation representatives. AFCYER will go combat-ready Oct. 1, operating from Barksdale AFB, La, on an interim basis. The short list of finalists to host the permanent HQ location should be out by the end of 2008, enabling the announcement of the winner by next September, USAF said. Bill Anderson, USAF’s assistant secretary for installations, recently sent a letter to the governors of the 18 states (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia), inviting their local communities to participate. His letter advises each state and local government against investment in infrastructure targeted to attract the mission, USAF said.

Symptoms of Old Age: Gen John Corley, head of Air Combat Command, carries in his hip pocket a list of age-related ills affecting his fleet. Talking with reporters March 27 in Washington D.C., Corley rattled off a litany of problems and restrictions. His F-15s, for example, are prohibited from exceeding 660 knots or Mach 1.5 (whichever comes first) because of a weakness in the vertical control surfaces. These aircraft were designed to be able to dash at speeds beyond Mach 3. Further, some 63 of his F-16s are flying with cracked bulkheads. His A-10s have a nosegear weight-bearing problem that won’t allow the Hogs to operate at more than 46,000 pounds, when they’re designed for 51,000 pounds. His B-1s can’t open their speed brakes above Mach .9 because of a hinge problem, and his B-2s can’t climb faster than 280 knots indicated airspeed because of cracks propagating from bolt holes in the windshield. The glitches are just some of the problems affecting operations, to say nothing of vanishing parts vendors or lengthening maintenance hours per flying hour. Corley said that $0.86 on the dollar of his procurement budget goes to keeping his machines flying, versus $0.14 that goes toward buying new capability.

Hogs over Baghdad: The Daily Report got a firsthand look at the A-10Cs of the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Squadron, back from its first deployment to Iraq with the upgraded Warthogs late last year, during a March 27 visit to Warfield ANGB, Md., and got some keen insights on the deployment from the perspective of the aircraft’s operators and maintainers. The Air Guard pilots already had flown the unit’s pre-upgrade A-10As in Afghanistan, but flying sorties over Iraq with the C model was a different experience that demanded the precision and weaponry of which the upgraded aircraft are now capable, they said. The “new” Hogs “were spring-loaded for precision engagement,” said Lt. Col. Tim Smith, the squadron’s commander. With the cockpit enhancements, ground troops were able to feed quality targeting coordinates up to the A-10 pilots for strikes with the 500-pound GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, a new capability for the close air support platforms. The squadron’s first strike with a JDAM was on September 19, 2007, north of Baghdad. Smith said that a good majority of the unit’s sorties involved working with coalition forces to track down improvised explosive devices or weapons caches—often in urban terrain—in addition to tracking high-value targets and destroying the caches. For these roles, the aircraft’s LITENING targeting pod was essential. The weapons loads used in the Iraq deployment were fairly standard: a mix of JDAMS, GBU-12 laser guided bombs, the AGM-65F Maverick missile for moving targets, and 30 mm shells from the aircraft’s powerful gun. “Nine times out of 10, we follow the air tasking order from the CAOC, so we load what we are told,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Campbell, the 175th Maintenance Squadron commander, in explaining how the weapons are chosen for a mission. For example, for one mission in Iraq, the air operations center specifically called for Mavericks, he said.

Next Up For A-10s, Helmet-Mounted Cueing: The airmen who fly and maintain the A-10Cs of the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Squadron say one of the final items on their wish list should be coming down the pike soon: a helmet-mounted cueing system. “It’s the last piece of the pie,” Lt. Col. Kevin Campbell, commander of the 175th Maintenance Squadron, told the Daily Report during a visit to the A-10Cs’ home at Warfield ANGB, Md., outside of Baltimore March 27. The cueing system, coupled with the upgraded avionics and sensors resident on the A-10C would greatly improve targeting and tracking, Campbell and his colleagues said. During the week of March 27, ANG personnel came to Warfield to build cockpit maps for such a system. ANG hasn’t chosen a design yet, but plans to begin testing the technology in May at the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center at Tucson ANGB, Ariz. If the testing is successful, the Air Guard would like to go into production with a model as early as next year. “That’s very aggressive, but it’s the last thing you need in this jet to complement all the integration” enhancements that went into the A-10C upgrade, Campbell said. Lt. Col. Dan Marino, commander of the 104th Operations Group, said the goal of the effort is to produce a HMCS capability utilizing commercial off-the-shelf technology that’s a bit cheaper than the more advanced Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System produced by Boeing for F-15s, F-16s, and Navy F-18s.

RAF Tanker Program Moves Forward: The British Ministry of Defence signed a 27-year, private-finance-initiative contract with the AirTanker industry consortium March 27 for the provision of 14 Airbus A330-200 tanker aircraft that will enter service in 2011 to meet the RAF’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft requirement. “This is a very welcome announcement,” RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, Chief of the Air Staff, said in the MOD’s March 27 statement. AirTanker will own and support the tankers, providing air refueling and air transport services to the RAF. The new aircraft will replace the RAF’s nine TriStar and 19 VC-10 tankers. “The Airbus A330 FSTA fleet will deliver unrivalled levels of capability, reliability, flexibility and economy to the UK armed forces,” said Phil Blundell, CEO of AirTanker, in the company’s March 27 release. AirTanker comprises Cobham, EADS, Rolls-Royce, Thales UK, and VT Group. The MOD chose it as the preferred bidder for FSTA in February 2005 over a BAE Systems-Boeing team that offered the KC-767 tanker. It has taken this long to get the private financing assembled to make the deal possible. The A330 airframe was also chosen by the US Air Force Feb. 29 over the KC-767 in the KC-X tanker contest.

No Similar Reports: Air Combat Command chief Gen. John Corley said USAF F-16s have “not experienced” formaldehyde fumes seeping into their cockpits as the Israelis say has occurred with their two-seat F-16Is. “I am digging at that one, but that one hasn’t popped up for us,” the general told the Daily Report after a meeting with defense reporters March 27 in Washington, D.C. Israel suspended training flights with its F-16Is after its pilots complained of strong smells in their cockpits, reportedly from formaldehyde, according to Israeli press reports. The Israeli concern is that the fumes could cause cancer. The Israeli aircraft are newer than their American counterparts. Airplane maker Lockheed Martin said the Israeli Air Force has requested support from the company and US government in investigating the claims. “We are providing this support,” said company spokesman Joe Stout. “We have not had similar reports by other F-16 users.”

Helping Hand: Hundreds of airmen from across US Air Forces in Europe, including those flying E-3 AWACS, F-15s, F-15Es, F-16s, and KC-135s, have been converging in Eastern Europe to support Operation Noble Endeavor, the Romanian-led effort to police the skies above the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest. The US is augmenting the Romanian security presence at the host nation’s request during the meeting of the alliance’s leaders, including President Bush, from April 2 to 4. “This is just one example in a long list of accomplishments of NATO nations working together toward a common purpose,” said Col. Peter Davidson, commander of the 323rd Air Expeditionary Wing that is participating in operation. “There is great strength in allied interoperability, and I’m proud to be a part of this mission.” The summit agenda is expected to include the prickly issue of whether to offer membership to Georgia and Ukraine, a move that the US favors, but members like Germany oppose. (Includes USAF report by TSgt. Eric Petosky)

Come Together Right Now: The Department of Defense and Intelligence Community still lack a comprehensive strategy for national security space, and until one is issued, the nation runs the risk of facing capability gaps in some areas while pursuing redundant systems in others, the Government Accountability Office warned Congress in a letter report issued March 27. “DOD and the IC have not developed, agreed upon, or issued a National Security Space Strategy,” reads the report, which GAO prepared for the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee. Without the overarching guidance of the document, “the defense and intelligence communities may continue to make independent decisions and use resources that are not necessarily based on national priorities,” GAO says. While the National Security Space Office did develop a comprehensive strategy in 2004, it has never been issued for a variety of reasons ranging from leadership changes in the Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office and “differences of opinion between the defense and intelligence communities,” states GAO. It noted, however that both DOD and the IC see a benefit in having a strategy. As that unfolds, US Strategic Command is building a national military strategy for space operations, Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, who heads the command, said March 4.

Extensive Engine Damage in F-22 Mishap: Factors such as an adhesive with poor cohesive strength and a lack of sanctioned tools and technical guidance for maintainers led to a six-inch by eight-inch piece of low-observable material separating from an F-22A test aircraft during takeoff last November and being ingested into the aircraft’s right engine, according to the findings of the Air Combat Command accident investigation board released March 27. The mishap took place Nov. 1, 2007, at Nellis AFB, Nev., with a Raptor assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron. It caused extensive damage to the engine—estimated at approximately $1.2 million—but no injuries.

Make Governance a Routine: The Secretary of Defense should establish a set rhythm to his oversight that makes use of “some unchangeable elements of the American political landscape,” such as quadrennial defense reviews, the Center of Strategic and International Studies writes in the fourth and final report of its Beyond Goldwater-Nichols project issued March 20. For example, the SECDEF should use the QDR to “create and articulate his four-year defense agenda,” while ensuring that it “creates more value” than it costs in time and manpower to produce for Congress, the report reads. The report also recommends that the SECDEF creates the position of director for strategy, execution, and assessment within his office to replace the current director of program analysis and evaluation. Among the responsibilities of the new position would be to administer the QDR, draft the Secretary’s overarching guidance and develop independent civilian expertise in capability portfolio assessment. The report also calls for empowering the commander of Joint Forces Command to be the advocate for the future joint force, including his inclusion as a statutory member of the joint requirements oversight council. It also advocates strengthening the role of DOD’s technology experts, including the director of defense research and engineering, in building the future force.

Inability to Discern Horizon Led to F-16 Loss: Pilot disorientation while executing a 90-degree maneuver during a nighttime training mission and the inability to recover caused an Air Force Reserve F-16C from Homestead ARB, Fla., to crash Jan. 15 over the Gulf of Mexico, Air Combat Command announced March 26, citing the findings of an accident investigation board. The pilot ejected and sustained minor injuries. The aircraft, assigned to the 482nd Fighter Wing, was destroyed on impact for a loss of $19 million, ACC said.

Predator Loss Explained: A failed ignition module was the primary cause of an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle crash July 30, 2007, at Balad AB, Iraq, according to the findings of the accident investigation board that Air Combat Command released March 27. The Predator, assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech AFB, Nev., went down 92 meters short of the Balad runway and was severely damaged with losses valued at about $2.2 million, plus some damage to airfield lights.

Air Sorties in War on Terrorism, Southwest Asia:
March 27, 2008

Sortie Type	OIF	OEF	OIF/OEF	Total	YTD
ISR	26	8		34	2,315
CAS/Armed Recon	64	45		109	7,039
Airlift			123	123	10,492
Air refueling			42	42	3,259
Total				308	23,105

OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom
OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom
ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
YTD = Year to Date
Airlift includes Horn of Africa data