RCO To Manage ABMS Buys; Tankers First To Sport New Data Links

RCO To Manage ABMS Buys; Tankers First To Sport New Data Links
RCO To Manage ABMS Buys; Tankers First To Sport New Data Links

“When you can launch an austere airbase in a space capsule, that’s frickin’ awesome,” says AF acquisition head Will Roper about the idea of suborbital transport spacecraft.

Air Force Eyes ‘Autonomous Tanker’ For KC-46 Follow-On: Roper

Air Force Eyes ‘Autonomous Tanker’ For KC-46 Follow-On: Roper
Air Force Eyes ‘Autonomous Tanker’ For KC-46 Follow-On: Roper

“One of those next strategic questions for the Air Force is going to be: can you defend a tanker against an onslaught of fighters, who know that every tanker you kill is like killing a lot of fighters or bombers or drones that it supports?” says Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper.

Israel Seeks Early Release Of US Defense Funding

Israel Seeks Early Release Of US Defense Funding
Israel Seeks Early Release Of US Defense Funding

TEL AVIV: Israel’s Ministry of Defense and high command have hammered out an emergency plan for an appeal to Washington to make changes in the Foreign Military Funds (FMF) agreement between the U.S and Israel. The situation created by the pandemic is having a huge effect on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) new multi-year plan…

AF, Boeing Reach Deal To Fix KC-46 Cameras

AF, Boeing Reach Deal To Fix KC-46 Cameras
AF, Boeing Reach Deal To Fix KC-46 Cameras

The Air Force will release some $882 million in cash it has withheld from Boeing due to problems on the 33 aircraft that have been delivered, Will Roper said. The only was released, in part, by concerns about Boeing’s corporate health, as well as that of its subcontractors, because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Goldfein to SASC: Boeing KC-46 Still Faces ‘Profound Problems;’ Would Only Fly In War

Goldfein to SASC: Boeing KC-46 Still Faces ‘Profound Problems;’ Would Only Fly In War
Goldfein to SASC: Boeing KC-46 Still Faces ‘Profound Problems;’ Would Only Fly In War

Pressed by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on when the KC-46 will be fully ready, Goldfein said the service is in final negotiations with Boeing about a “serious fix” for the Remote Visual System that currently has a dangerous blind spot when monitoring the boom during refueling.

F-35A, B-21 Buys Must Continue, But Where’s The $$, Says CSIS

F-35A, B-21 Buys Must Continue, But Where’s The $$, Says CSIS
F-35A, B-21 Buys Must Continue, But Where’s The $$, Says CSIS

The current status of the Air Force fleet is “like a power-stall in an airplane,” Todd Harrison of CSIS says, despite a budget at “full throttle.”

Years Late, It’s ‘Pass-Fail’ Now For Boeing’s KC-46 Tanker: Gen. Miller

Years Late, It’s ‘Pass-Fail’ Now For Boeing’s KC-46 Tanker: Gen. Miller
Years Late, It’s ‘Pass-Fail’ Now For Boeing’s KC-46 Tanker: Gen. Miller

The cascade of problems with the plane, which Boeing called low risk and promised to deliver 18 combat-ready aircraft in 2017, is unlikely to deliver planes ready for war for several more years, Gen. Maryanne Miller, the head of Air Mobility Command, made clear today.

Boeing KC-46 Deliveries Halted, Again

Boeing KC-46 Deliveries Halted, Again
Boeing KC-46 Deliveries Halted, Again

The revelation, made by the Air Force Secretary during Congressional testimony, is the latest black eye for the tanker program.

DCMA Orders Safety Halt To KC-46 Deliveries; Roper Promises Close Scrutiny

DCMA Orders Safety Halt To KC-46 Deliveries; Roper Promises Close Scrutiny
DCMA Orders Safety Halt To KC-46 Deliveries; Roper Promises Close Scrutiny

AFA ORLANDO: Two KC-46 tankers due to be delivered to the Air Force were grounded after government inspectors found tools and other debris left behind on the planes at Boeing’s plant in Seattle. The Defense Contract Management Agency and the Air Force required Boeing to make 13 changes to procedures to ensure the FOD will…

Hold Joint Armed Services-Foreign Relations Defense Hearings

Hold Joint Armed Services-Foreign Relations Defense Hearings
Hold Joint Armed Services-Foreign Relations Defense Hearings

The best way for America to develop a consensus on what our defense and global security commitments should be is for Congress to have a lengthy series of posture hearings that delve deeply into these issues.    They could be jointly held by the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees from the two chambers, patterned…

Aussie Tankers Knit Coalition Forces Together

Aussie Tankers Knit Coalition Forces Together
Aussie Tankers Knit Coalition Forces Together

Afghanistan and operations in the Middle East against jihadist terror groups mark the rebirth of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as probably the most modern and innovative air force among US allies and partners.

The Aussies deployed a new force package during their most recent Middle East engagement, as C-17s, F/A-18As and F/A-18Fs operated with the E-7 Wedgetail Air Battle Management aircraft and the A330 MRTT tanker.