US Air Force

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La notizia ... come è stata riportata da ...

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-wants-up-to-400-advanced-fighter-trainers-like-t-7s/ ...

Comunque sia ... ho la netta impressione che non sappiano nemmeno loro cosa vogliono e stiano mettendo troppa carne al fuoco ...

 

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E, aggiungo, avrai sicuramente notato che, nell'articolo, non viene fatto cenno alcuno ad una eventuale partecipazione del "346" ...

[meravigliato]

Magari non se ne farà niente ma se va in porto, secondo me, i numeri inizialmente saranno molto bassi (qualunque sia la piattaforma scelta ma se il programma "Reforge " va in porto darei favorito il T-50) e il grosso degli acquisiti si farà quando il T-7 sarà maturo come trainer e pronto per una versione lightweight fighter.

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A me sembra una situazione abbastanza complicata (tipica degli Americani) ... visto e considerato che il programma T-7A ha già cominciato ad accumulare parecchi mesi di ritardo ... e potrebbe continuare su questa strada, come è avvenuto, in passato, in taluni altri casi ...

Un aggiornamento ...

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/new-air-force-trainer-jet-supports-reforge-concept/ ...

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Rifornimento in stile "hot pit" in occasione di un rischieramento in Europa ...

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Two B-1B Lancers, from Dyess Air Force Base’s 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron currently operating from Royal Air Force Fairford, England, conduct hot pit refueling using the innovative Versatile Integrated Partner Equipment Refueling (VIPER) kit, at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Oct. 11, 2021.

... dvidshub.net ... https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6882433/spangdahlem-refuels-btf-bombers-with-viper-kit-first-time ...

In dettaglio ... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/bomber-task-force-refueling-airmen-designed-kit-fit/ ...

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"Advanced Fighter Trainer" ... Lockheed Martin afferma che parteciperà alla competizione ma evita di specificare con cosa ... 

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Lockheed Martin will offer a solution to the Air Force’s new Advanced Tactical Trainer aircraft, a new jet the Air Force is planning to bridge undergraduate flight instruction and full-up fighter certification. 
However, the company declined to say what it might offer for the nascent competition.
--- --- ---
When asked specifically if Lockheed Martin will offer the T-50A - with which it and partner Korea Aerospace Industries finished second in the Air Force’s T-X Advanced Trainer competition - or offer a different airplane, or a clean-sheet design, the spokesperson declined comment.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/lockheed-martin-will-compete-for-advanced-fighter-trainer/ ...

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L'industria aerospaziale degli Stati Uniti di fronte al problema delle vaccinazioni ... 

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As the military’s COVID-19 vaccination deadlines close in, federal contractors are also demanding employees get vaccinated, driven by President Biden’s Sept. 9 executive order.

 ... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/contractors-employees-object-vaccines-may-not-get-backup/ ...

 

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Con il “Quarterhorse” ... Hermeus va a piena potenza ...

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La scorsa settimana l’azienda americana Hermeus ha svelato un prototipo in scala reale del suo primo aereo senza pilota ipersonico, il “Quarterhorse”. 
Un gruppo eterogeneo di investitori, leader del settore, funzionari militari e governativi, ricercatori e associazioni civiche locali, tutte le parti interessate che possono rendere il volo ipersonico una realtà, hanno partecipato all’evento di presentazione del velivolo.

... aviation-report.com ... https://www.aviation-report.com/hermeus-svela-prototipo-di-aereo-senza-pilota-ipersonico-quarterhorse/

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"Advanced Tactical Trainer" ... sono in parecchi ad essere perplessi circa le reali intenzioni dell'USAF ... 

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The Air Force is considering a new trainer aircraft — one intended to emulate 4th and 5th generation fighter jets and be able to better train the service’s newest fighter pilots how to fly in combat.
Nope, not the T-7A Red Hawk. 
Another one. 
Maybe.
The Air Force released a request for information for a new trainer aircraft, dubbed the Advanced Tactical Trainer, on Oct. 12. 
But given the service has the first T-7s on the way, scheduled to arrive at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas in 2023, the service’s apparent interest in another — similar — trainer left some observers scratching their heads.
Dan Grazier of the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight said the Air Force’s consideration of another trainer aircraft raises questions about its strategy and priorities — and perhaps about the T-7.

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/12/01/with-t-7-on-the-way-why-is-acc-eyeing-a-new-trainer/ ...

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Gli alti papaveri lanciano un avvertimento al Congresso ...

Cita

Billions of dollars are on the line if Congress cannot pass a defense appropriations bill in the coming month and instead decides to fund the Defense Department through a continuing resolution for the rest of fiscal 2022, service chiefs and top Pentagon officials warned a House panel Jan. 12.
A yearlong CR also would cost the military an even more precious resource - its efforts to modernize and counter China and Russia, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
“As much as this affects the Air Force fiscally, the impact it has on our way to change is more shattering,” Brown said. 
“Time is irrecoverable. And when you’re working to keep pace against well resourced and focused competitors, time matters.”

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-space-force-brown-raymond-long-term-cr/ ...

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Volo in formazione sopra lo stadio del Super Bowl ...

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The U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation (AFHFF) put on a display of 75 years of Air Force airpower with a flyover of SoFi stadium in Los Angeles on Super Bowl Sunday.
The flyover, which came on the U.S. Air Force’s 75th anniversary year featured an array of fighter aircraft from the branch’s earliest days of service to its most modern and cutting-edge.
Leading the formation was AFHFF fighter pilot Steven Hinton in the World War II-era P-51 Mustang. 
On Hinton’s wings flew an F-16 Fighting Falcon, an F-35A Lightning II, an A-10 Thunderbolt II and an F-22 Raptor.

... americanmilitarynews.com ... https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/02/pics-videos-heres-the-air-forces-historic-super-bowl-flyover/ ...

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Due F-35A dell'USAF ... per la prima volta al Singapore Airshow dopo un volo trans-Pacifico ...

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A KC-46A Pegasus tanker and F-35A fighter jets have made the trans-Pacific journey to attend the Singapore Airshow.
A pair of U.S. Air Force F-35As and a single KC-46A are on static display at the biennial airshow, which runs Feb. 15-18 at Singapore’s Changi Exhibition Centre.
The F-35As are from the 355th Fighter Squadron out of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, which started receiving the Lockheed Martin-made fifth-generation fighter jet in April 2020. 
This is the first time the conventional-takeoff-and-landing variant has appeared at the Singapore Airshow.

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/smr/singapore-airshow/2022/02/17/f-35a-attends-singapore-airshow-for-first-time-joining-other-navy-air-force-planes/ ...

 >> 

[engine]

2019 : C 130 J  con strisce vintage,

https://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/1330431/16-5840-usa-army-lockheed-c-130j-hercules/

ancora presenti oggi sull'aereo ( la terza foto dell'articolo )

https://www.italiandefencetechnologies.com/la-folgore-trains-with-the-173rd-infantry-brigade-combat-team-airborne/

 

 

Modificato 18 Febbraio 2022 da engine

[Flaggy]

Altri spostamenti. La NATO mostra i denti e una dozzina di F-35 USAF finisce in Germania...

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/02/17/air-force-moves-f-35s-utah-germany-ukraine-faces-possible-invasion.html

 

[TT-1 Pinto]

Volo in formazione sopra lo stadio del Super Bowl ... again ...

Cita

Not only was the flyover a touching nod to the USAF's 75th anniversary, it was also veteran pilot Steve Hinton's last heritage flight
The NFL honoured the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force before the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams took the field at SoFi Stadium on Sunday 13th February 2022, when five elite pilots took part in a pregame flyover during the closing notes of the national anthem.

 ... key.aero/article ... https://www.key.aero/article/super-bowl-flyover-75th-usaf-anniversary ...

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Massiccio programma dell'USAF che mira alla modernizzazione di 608 F-16 delle prime serie ...

Cita

After some years of stalling over a fleet modernization effort, the U.S. Air Force will now upgrade 608 of its youngest Lockheed Martin F-16s in a massive program that will cost an estimated $6.3 billion. 
Managed by the Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the program brings together 22 specific modifications - some of which are already under way - that address the aircraft’s lethality and aim to equip it for service until at least the late 2040s.
The overall project - known as Post Block Integration Team, or PoBIT - is highly complex in terms of managing the application of upgrades across such a large fleet while still ensuring operational requirements are still being met. 
This is a pretty massive effort, a collision of mods as we call it,” said Oryan “OJ” Joseph of the directorate’s F-16 Program Office.

 ... ainonline.com ... https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2022-03-04/usaf-unveils-63bn-f-16-fighter-upgrade-program ...

Anche qui ... thedrive.com/the-war-zone ... https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44525/608-u-s-air-force-f-16s-are-getting-the-types-largest-combined-upgrade-package-ever ...

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Dal Missouri all'Australia ... andata e ritorno ...

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A B-2 bomber flew from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., to Australia and back over the course of more than 50 hours recently, integrating with five different fighter aircraft from the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force along the way. 
The B-2 Spirit from the 509th Bomb Wing became on March 23 the first such bomber to land at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley, Pacific Air Forces announced in a press release (*).
While in Australian airspace, the B-2 refueled from a KC-135 tanker from the Alaska Air National Guard, then integrated with American F-16Cs and Australian F-35s, EA-18 Growlers, and F/A-18F Super Hornets as part of training operations.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/whiteman-b-2-flies-to-australia-and-back-conducts-training-with-raaf/ ...

(*) ... pacaf.af.mil ... https://www.pacaf.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2976393/b-2-conducts-mission-in-indo-pacific-integrates-with-us-royal-australian-air-fo/ ...

 & 

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Tempo di bilanci, tagli e ... trasformazioni ...

Cita

The Department of the Air Force is requesting $234.1 billion in its 2023 budget request, of which $40.1 billion is “pass-through funds,” or money the services will never see, while $169.5 billion is for USAF and $24.5 billion is for the Space Force. 
The budget request looks to cut 240 aircraft, including 33 fifth-generation F-22 stealth fighters and the majority of the AWACS fleet, to pay for additional research and development, long-delayed nuclear modernization programs, and the growing Space Force. 
It also significantly reduces the F-35 buy.
The 2023 budget request represents a $12 billion increase over the $182 billion enacted by Congress in 2022 - one of the largest increases in years. 
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the 2023 request attempts a “transformational” change in the services, motivated by China’s rapid modernization and taking into account Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Service leaders view the 2023 request as a prelude to even more profound “transformational” changes in fiscal 2024.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/usaf-seeks-transformational-change-in-2023-budget-as-it-looks-to-keep-pace-with-china/ ...

Riguardo al pensionamento degli F-22 ... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/news/pentagon-congress/2022/03/28/air-force-wants-to-send-tyndalls-f-22-jets-to-the-boneyard/ ...

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Il nuovo bilancio dell'USAF prevede, per quanto riguarda gli aeromobili, una serie di pensionamenti e di nuove acquisizioni ...

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-would-reduce-fleet-by-250-old-aircraft-bring-on-82-plus-new-ones/ ...

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F-35 ... l'Air Force ne acquisterebbe di più se le risorse a disposizione lo permettessero ...

Cita

Budget compromises driven by the need to modernize two-thirds of the nuclear triad forced Air Force leaders to cut planned purchases of F-35s in 2023 to just 33 - 15 fewer than it bought in fiscal 2022 and 27 fewer than 2021, said Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom, the service’s deputy chief of staff for plans and programs.
The Air Force’s $169.5 billion budget plan, released March 28, opted to slow down F-35 purchases while accelerating acquisition of the F-15EX. 
The necessity to pay for billions in nuclear modernization meant something had to give, and with upgrades pending to the F-35, the service reduced the F-35 buy in 2023 from 48 to 33 in favor of a purchase of 24 F-15EX aircraft. 
Nahom said the tough choice was in part due to the required stealth to meet the current threat.
“Would we have bought more F-35s if we had more resources? Yes, absolutely,” Nahom told Air Force Magazine in a Pentagon interview.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-would-buy-more-f-35s-if-resources-allowed-plans-and-programs-chief-says/ ...

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"Stratofortress" e "Raptor" in missione in Medio Oriente ...

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A USAF B-52 flew through the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on March 29, integrating with American F-22s and aircraft from nine other countries over the Middle East, U.S. Air Forces Central Command announced April 2 (*).
The B-52 bomber, assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., flew over the East Mediterranean, Arabian Peninsula, and Red Sea after taking off from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, where it is deployed as part of a bomber task force mission.
The F-22s, from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., that joined the bomber have been in CENTCOM since February - a squadron deployed to the United Arab Emirates to respond to recent drone and missile strikes by Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels.
A KC-10 also joined the mission, refueling the B-52 over Saudi Arabia, according to images released by AFCENT.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/b-52-f-22-nine-other-nations-over-middle-east-bomber-task-force-mission/ ...

(*) ... afcent.af.mil ... https://www.afcent.af.mil/News/Article/2981185/us-b-52s-bring-region-together-through-middle-east-presence-patrol/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

L'Air Force sottopone al Congresso una sorta di "lista dei desideri" riguardante talune "priorità" rimaste senza finanziamento nella richiesta di bilancio per il 2023 ... con la speranza che vengano reperiti fondi adeguati affinché tali desideri non siano destinati a rimanere sogni ... 

Cita

The Air Force’s unfunded priorities list - things it wants but couldn’t squeeze into its fiscal 2023 budget request - would leave it to Congress to boost the F-35 fighter buy, as part of a list of things it would acquire if it had another $4.6 billion to spend.
The Air Force only asked Congress for 33 F-35s in its 2023 budget proposal, 15 fewer than it bought in 2022 and 27 fewer than 2021. 
USAF said it prefers to spend that money on other needed modernization programs and wait until the Block 4 version of the jet is ready. 
The unfunded priorities list looks to close that gap slightly, asking for $921 million for seven more strike fighters, bringing the service’s total 2023 buy to 40 F-35As - still eight fewer than what it bought in 2022.
The UPL, which was obtained by Air Force Magazine but not released by the department, lists eight priorities the service wants but couldn’t afford in its 2023 budget request, released last month. 
The F-35 is fifth on that list.
“The Air Force unfunded list would add just seven F-35 jets, less than half of what’s needed to match the 48 requested in each of the past three years,” said Air & Space Forces Association president retired Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright. 
“Indeed, in 2020 and 2021, Congress increased the Air Force request from 48 to 60 and we would urge lawmakers to do the same in 2023.”

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-sends-4-6b-unfunded-priorities-list-to-congress-space-force-requests-additional-600m/ ...

 

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Tutto tranquillo sul Fronte Settentrionale, ma ...

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Russia hasn’t stepped up its mock bomber runs at the U.S./Canadian landmass during its invasion of Ukraine, but cyber penetrations are up, indicating some “preparation of … the battlefield” is underway, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command commander Gen. Glen D. VanHerck reported.
He also discussed the “episodic” U.S. strategy in the Arctic and said it’s only a matter of time before North Korea builds enough intercontinental ballistic missiles that it could overwhelm current U.S. missile defenses (*).
“I have not witnessed anything towards the homeland that would be provocative,” said VanHerck April 25, referencing recent Russian military activity.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/all-quiet-on-the-northern-front-but-cyber-preparation-by-russia-underway/ ...

(*) ... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2022/04/26/see-the-weapons-on-display-during-north-koreas-latest-parade/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

A casa dopo l'uragano  ...

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Altus Air Force Base, Okla., evacuated 33 aircraft of the 97th Air Mobility Wing ahead of severe storms on May 3 and 4 and secured the remaining aircraft on base in hangars, but there was no damage and the full complement of aircraft had returned by May 5.
Due to operational security, the base could not say where its KC-135s, C-17s, and KC-46s were flown to, other than locations chosen “based on availability, proximity, and capability.” 
Those not evacuated or secured were already away at other locations.
There was no damage and no injury at the base during the harsh weather.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/altus-evacuates-33-aircraft-ahead-of-storms-but-no-damage-sustained/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

VC-25B e KC-Y ... un paio di programmi che si trovano a dover affrontare una serie di problemi e di battaglie a livello politico ...

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/new-air-force-one-will-be-2-3-years-late-battle-brewing-over-kc-y/ ...